South Korean air taxi and longer-range advanced air mobility (AAM) company Plana has been expanding its business footprint of late, and as part of that is opening offices in the US to facilitate the certification process of its next-generation aircraft.
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Air taxi developer EHang is closing out March with a pair of announcements on its activities preparing for future advanced air mobility (AAM), including news its unpiloted passenger craft has entered the final phase of certification with China’s regulators.
EHang reported on the progress of its EH216-S air taxi in a communiqué on its 2022 financial results. In it the company said the craft had entered “the final phase of Demonstration and Verification of Compliance” with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). It also suggested the vehicle might have advanced even closer toward final type certification (TC) if it hadn’t been for considerable disruptions caused by COVID-19 peaks in the country.
Read: Archer, United announce air taxi link between Chicago and O’Hare
In describing progress of EH216-S testing, EHang said “more than 90% of the entire TC process has been completed, which is believed to be the fastest progress among all TC projects of electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) aircraft worldwide.”
EHang added it had received over 100 orders for the future air taxi from customers in China, and that it continues adding to its over 34,000 test flights of the craft already made around the globe.
“At present, several EH216-S conforming aircraft, which were manufactured in EHang’s Yunfu production facility, have successfully passed the manufacturing conformity inspection by CAAC and are undergoing required compliance tests at flight bases in Guangzhou and Hezhou as well as laboratories in other locations,” the company said. “Based on the CAAC-agreed compliance test plans, more than 70% of tests have been or will be completed soon, including laboratory tests, ground tests and inspections, flight tests and data analysis.”
Read: EHang air taxi aids European testing of UAM air traffic projects
This week EHang also announced the successful completion of testing of an autonomous airborne beacon designed to improve positioning information on drones and AAM craft like air taxis.
The company said the year-long BAUD project with Spain’s Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies and government ministries had been wrapped up with all objectives met. The system uses the UAV-transported beacon to interface with positioning platforms like Global Navigation Satellite Systems, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, and Galileo to communicate information on drone and AAM craft status, remote identification information, and other tactical data to surrounding U-Space operators.
“We are delighted to announce the successful completion of the BAUD project, achieving all of its goals and objectives,” said Victoria Xiang, EHang chief operating officer for Europe and Latin America. “EHang welcomes public-private partnership opportunities for research, development, and investment in the UAS field in Spain. This has encouraged EHang to execute several innovation projects, share EHang’s world-leading technology and extensive international experience on Urban Air Mobility, and strengthen our wide technological collaboration network in Europe.”
Embraer urban air mobility (UAM) company Eve is moving again to prepare for the launch of future air taxi services by striking a new partnership in vertiport and air traffic management (ATM) system development with a unit of international transport infrastructure group Ferrovial.
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California electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) developer Archer Aviation has extended its partnership with longtime investor United Airlines in a deal that will launch air taxi services between downtown Chicago and O’Hare International airport – the second route in a planned US network.
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UK-based Global Travel Investments Limited has announced the program for its fourth AIRTAXI World Congress, which this year will be bringing together the main players in advanced air mobility (AAM) craft, infrastructure, tech, and investment activity in San Francisco – home to several leading next-generation electric aircraft developers.
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The Biden White House has released a policy report on its priorities for developing new aviation technologies, like electric vertical takeoff and landing planes (eVTOL), autonomous drone services, air taxis, and other forms of advanced air mobility (AAM) to preserve what it says is US leadership in the aeronautical sector, “made possible by American ingenuity and bolstered by the federal government.”
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Just two weeks after air taxi developer Autoflight broke a new distance flight record for electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the company inked a deal to provide Singapore air fleet management company EVFLY with over 200 of its passenger planes and cargo drones.
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Aviation experts at NASA are preparing the tools that will be needed for safe and easy navigation of future air taxis and drone services, and to facilitate that work they’ve teamed up with advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft developer Joby.
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Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Archer Aviation has announced it iss moving rapidly toward assembly of its first production air taxi, just four months after unveiling the craft in November.
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Maker of both hybrid and entirely electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) airplanes, Horizon Aircraft has revealed research on what backers of new craft development expect in the early phases of operation, which ranks much-anticipated air taxi services surprisingly low on that list.
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Air taxi developer Archer Aviation says it finalized several key details related to the financing of its future electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturing plant in Covington, Georgia, and, as a result, has begun construction of the initial 350,000-square-foot facility of its larger production plant.
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South Korean aircraft developer Plana doesn’t plan to introduce its first air taxi for a few years yet, but it’s already initiating work to create what it says will be Asia’s first international corridor for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flights between its domestic market and Japan.
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AutoFlight, a developer of next-generation craft for air taxi operation, has announced the current version of its Prosperity I plane set a world record for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flight by covering over 250 kilometers on a single charge.
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US developer of vertiports Volatus Infrastructure is teaming up with South Korean advanced air mobility (AAM) plane developer Plana in an effort to close what appears to be a significant gap in preparing for next-generation aircraft services: having necessary ground assets set up and operating by the time air taxis are ready to begin transporting passengers.
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German developer of electic vertical of takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), Volocopter, has reenergized its longstanding activities in Japan by commencing the certification process of its VoloCity air taxi in the country, concurrent to similar work with three other regulatory bodies already under way.
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Dubai has renewed a previous pledge to be one of the world’s early deployers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), this time setting a 2026 launch objective for air taxi services in the city-state and commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
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Next generation advanced air mobility (AAM) company Joby announced it has completed the second of five stages in the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification process, placing the company on course to debut air taxi services planned for 2025.
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German technology giant Siemens is partnering up with California startup Skyway to research and develop electrical supplies and infrastructure needed to power global vertiports soon expected to facilitate flights of electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles like air taxis.
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Wisk Aero, a California developer of autonomous air taxis, has announced the retirement of CEO Gary Gysin, who will be replaced by company board member and Boeing veteran Brian Yutko effective February 1.
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Among the first pieces of legislation introduced to the new Congress is a bill calling for an Office of Advanced Aviation to be created within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which would coordinate regulation of craft, pilot training, air traffic systems, and other considerations particular to next-generation vehicles that will be providing air taxi and other services.
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Next-generation electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer Archer has announced a significant deepening of its industrial and strategic partnership with European automotive giant Stellantis, under which the producer of Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot, and other car brands will contribute advanced manufacturing technology, expertise, and capital to the operation of the air taxi company’s future Covington, Georgia, Midnight plane factory.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a set of airworthiness criteria for the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis under development by Archer Aviation, making the company just the second after Joby to receive the vital guide toward certification.
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The French AirNova startup has ambitious plans for lifting the nation’s ground transportation into the skies with emerging electric takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOL), and is currently looking to raise funds for its project to build a network of multi-purpose vertiports across France.
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Next-generation aircraft developer Archer passed another milestone in what had already been an eventful year for the company, with its Maker prototype electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft making its first full transition flight this week.
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