Lilium has informed investors and suppliers that it has pushed back its goal of completing type certification from 2024 into 2025 after reviewing the current status of design activity, holding discussions with regulators, and accounting for supply-chain disruption. The company now says it will build and start flying the first production-conforming versions of the seven-seat Lilium Jet in 2023, and will then need another 15 to 18 months to earn EASA type certification.

Korean automotive group Hyundai has expanded its ambitions in the field of advanced air mobility with the addition of a hydrogen-powered eSTOL aircraft to its previously announced plans for a battery-powered eVTOL vehicle made by its Supernal subsidiary. Hyundai’s new Korean Advanced Air Mobility unit will take responsibility for the development of the eSTOL aircraft, which would fly to a range of 1,000 km and whose application would at first center on a network around Seoul by about 2030.

Australia-based eVTOL aircraft start-up AMSL Aero is the latest company to join the country's Greenbird advanced air mobility consortium. The group is combining the forces of its eight member organizations to make progress through a joint industry-government strategy to exploit the advantages of new aviation technology in this vast country.

A new partnership between global commercial aircraft and helicopter specialists Blueberry Aviation and Swiss eVTOL developer Dufour Aerospace calls for Blueberry to provide marketing and placement support for Dufour hybrid-electric tiltwing aircraft. The agreement would also see Blueberry acquire 100 Aero2 and Aero3 vehicles and arrange helicopter trade-in deal, as well as establishing financial tools to fund or lease Dufour products.

ZeroAvia's new partnership with renewable power group Zev Station is focused on developing hydrogen refueling infrastructure across a network of California airports. It builds on similar work already underway in Europe, where ZeroAvia intends to support commercial regional airline flights starting in 2024.

Piasecki Aircraft aims to build and fly a full-scale prototype of its hydrogen-powered PA-890 helicopter in 2023. Before then, it will evaluate the high-temperature fuel cell technology provided by its partner HyPoint in an existing helicopter and will conduct extensive ground testing of the technology to be used.

The American Composite Manufacturers Association is holding a series of webinars to provide expert guidance on how composite materials can best be used for new aerospace applications such as eVTOL aircraft and vertiports. The Advanced Air Mobility Composite Technology Days will be held during April and are free to participants.

Airbus Helicopters has released video footage showing its VSR700 optionally-piloted helicopter off the French coast in recent flight trials. The company is developing the so-called rotary-wing uncrewed aerial system (RWUAS) for the French Navy and has already completed more than 150 autonomous landings during the first phase of ship-based trials using a civilian vessel near the port of Brest in Brittany. It is an adapted version of the Guimbal Cabri G2 light helicopter and can optionally be flown by a single pilot. Initial deck trials were flown by the pilot to assess handling in proximity to the ship but were incrementally transferred to the autonomous system. The OPV is equipped with the all-weather, day/night Airbus DeckFinder system. During the trials it was tested in both autonomous and semi-autonomous modes, and in a range of sea states.

Dufour Aerospace is progressively refining the design for a family of tiltwing hybrid-electric aircraft under the brand name Aero, including both piloted and unmanned models of various sizes.