Letters of intent to purchase aircraft are not orders, despite the propensity of advanced air mobility startups to describe them as such. But they do provide an indication of who is interested in these new types of aircraft.
Honeywell has continued its penetration into the advanced air mobility market with the Anthem flight deck, announcing an agreement with Supernal to explore integration of the cloud-connected cockpit avionics system into the Hyundai subsidiary’s planned electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi.
Australian startup Dovetail has selected Mobius.energy to supply the battery system for its planned conversion of the Cessna Grand Caravan and other commuter aircraft to electric propulsion.
Several European regional airline CEOs are taking new aircraft technology timelines with a pinch of salt—they are welcoming the eco push but are generally technology agnostic.
French startup Aura Aero is looking to acquire a small carbon-fiber specialist as it intends to use the material for the wing of its planned 19-seat Electric Regional Aircraft.
South Korean startup Plana has secured $9 million in pre-Series A funding to continue development of its planned hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing air taxi.
Raytheon Technologies has made a minority investment in Swiss electric propulsion startup H55, a technology spinoff from the Solar Impulse solar-powered, around-the-world aircraft project.
The center will fabricate composite aircraft structures, such as wings and fuselages, for customers using automated and high-rate processing with smart manufacturing technologies
U.S. regional air travel provider Surf Air Mobility has agreed to the main terms of a $450 million deal with leading turboprop lessor Jetstream Aviation Capital to fund the growth and electrification of its aircraft fleet.
Sierra Nevada Corp. is moving into the original equipment manufacturer world for large uncrewed aircraft, announcing Oct. 10 it has acquired the UAV portfolio and intellectual property from Volansi.
The Advanced Air Mobility OEM Reality Index and Infrastructure Readiness Index reflect continued progress in the industry, from first flights to demonstrations that prove out flight, operations and infrastructure.
Lessors have played a major role in boosting the conditional orderbooks of electric aircraft startups, from Avolon’s preorder for 500 Vertical Aerospace four-passenger air taxis to Rockton’s letter of intent for 40 Heart Aerospace 30-seat regional airliners.
Chinese startup AutoFlight has opened a U.S. office as it pursues plans to develop and certify its electric urban air taxi in Europe, manufacture the vehicle in China and market it globally.
Textron Aviation is to help startup ZeroAvia develop and certify a hydrogen-electric propulsion conversion for the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan single-turboprop utility aircraft.
MintAir, a startup that plans to become an advanced air mobility operator in South Korea, has signed a letter of intent with Electra.aero to acquire 50 electric short takeoff and landing aircraft for passenger and cargo regional air mobility services.
