Two eSTOL aircraft pioneers, Electra and Airflow, are combining their operations and collectively hold provisional sales commitments for almost 800 units. The merged venture will now seek new investors as it advances plans to start flight testing prototypes for aircraft that will be able to operate from altitudes of between 100 and 300 feet.

The four-passenger VoloConnect eVTOL will be able to fly almost three times farther than Volocopter's smaller VoloCity and VoloDrone designs. The company this week reported that it started its flight test campaign on May 20, as part of a plan to complete type certification in 2026.

Helicopter operator Falcon Aviation says it is well placed to be the launch operator for eVTOL aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa. Under a partnership with Eve Urban Air Mobility, it plans to introduce 35 of the manufacturer's four-passenger eVTOL vehicles to its fleet beginning in 2026, initially deploying them on sightseeing flights from the Atlantis the Palm luxury resort.

Leasing group Avolon is working with two of its eVTOL aircraft customers, Gol and Grupo Comporte, as well as manufacturer Vertical Aerospace and Corporacion America Airports, to make plans to build and operate vertiports in Brazil. The project follows similar initiatives in the country by Eve and Helisul Aviation.

Former Airbus executive Klaus Roewe will lead Lilium Jet in a three-year push to achieve type certification for its seven-seat eVTOL aircraft in 2025. Rising expenditures have prompted the company to arrange a new $75 million equity line of credit with Tumim Stone Capital.

Honeywell says that initial ground testing of its one-MW turbogenerator has already demonstrated power density and efficiency that is significantly greater than currently available equipment provides. It is developing the equipment to power hybrid-electric aircraft and for recharging electric batteries.

The long-term viability of the eVTOL market will depend on the ability to adapt and certify the segment’s vehicles for autonomous flight, according to Embraer executives. A key benefit of advanced air mobility lies with its adaptability to autonomous operations and, therefore, its potential immunity from pilot shortages.

Eviation is preparing to start flight testing with its redesigned Alice electric aircraft that it aims to bring into service in 2025. This week, the aircraft was relocated from the company's headquarters in Arlington, Washington, to Moses Lake, where a first takeoff is expected in the near future. AIN/FutureFlight spoke to the company’s president and CEO, Gregory Davis, to find out why it’s made changes to the design and how it says airlines could make use of the new green technology.

Pipistrel is a European manufacturer with a rich heritage of developing light general aviation aircraft. It has pioneered the introduction of electrical power for its flight training aircraft and in 2020 became the first company to earn European type certification for an electric aircraft.