Recent Posts
News•Feb 27, 2026
Hyundai eVTOL Subsidiary Supernal Lays Off Most of Its Staff in Major Retrenchment
Hyundai Motor Group’s eVTOL arm Supernal announced a major workforce reduction, laying off 296 employees—roughly the bulk of its staff. The cuts underscore the subsidiary’s struggle to deliver a market‑ready electric vertical take‑off and landing aircraft despite five years of heavy hiring and capital infusion. Supernal’s spokesperson confirmed the retrenchment on February 23, signaling a significant slowdown in its development timeline. The move reflects broader challenges facing the advanced air mobility sector as firms grapple with technical, regulatory, and cost hurdles.
By The Air Current
News•Feb 17, 2026
How Clashes Between Sean Duffy and Bryan Bedford Intensified FAA’s Year of Turmoil
Sean Duffy entered the Transportation Secretary role just hours before a tragic mid‑air collision killed 67 people, thrusting him into the public eye as the FAA’s crisis manager. Five months later, President Trump’s pick, Bryan Bedford, assumed the FAA Administrator...
By The Air Current
News•Feb 16, 2026
Xcert AI Wants to Save Human Experts Time, Not Replace Them
Swiss startup Xcert AI has built an artificial‑intelligence assistant aimed at easing aerospace certification and compliance paperwork. The platform does not claim to replace human experts; instead it augments them, delivering expert‑level output in roughly half of the cases tested....
By The Air Current
News•Feb 11, 2026
Boeing Retires Final 787 Test Aircraft After 16 Years
Boeing has retired its last 787‑8 test aircraft, ZA004, after nearly 16 years of service. The plane, which first flew on February 24, 2010, was a core platform for propulsion testing, especially for Rolls‑Royce Trent 1000 engine upgrades. Captains Heather Ross and Craig...
By The Air Current
News•Feb 9, 2026
Newcomer ERC, Now Flight Testing, Keeps Germany’s eVTOL Dreams Alive
Germany’s eVTOL sector has faltered, with Lilium and Volocopter bankrupt and Airbus pausing CityAirbus, leaving the country’s air‑taxi ambitions in doubt. This week Munich‑based ERC System completed the maiden flight of Romeo, a full‑scale lift‑plus‑cruise eVTOL weighing over 6,000 lb, making...
By The Air Current
News•Feb 3, 2026
How a Solar Impulse Spinoff Cleared a Major Battery Certification Hurdle
Swiss startup H55, a Solar Impulse spinoff, announced it has successfully completed a full certification test sequence for its high‑energy propulsion batteries, with the tests witnessed and approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The milestone proves the...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 31, 2026
ATR Maps Out the Rest of Its Decade
ATR CEO Nathalie Tarnaude Laude outlined a decade‑long roadmap that moves the French‑Italian turboprop maker from a turbulent 2025 into a period of accelerated production and market expansion. After a half‑decade of supply‑chain reconstitution, the company claims it achieved stabilization and...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 26, 2026
What to Watch for as NTSB Determines D.C. Midair Crash Probable Cause
On Tuesday the NTSB will announce and vote on the probable cause of the Jan. 29, 2025 midair collision between an Army Black Hawk and an American Airlines CRJ700 at Washington D.C. The board will also consider safety recommendations, though the final...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 22, 2026
FAA Moves to Codify Existing DCA Helicopter Restrictions Into Law
The FAA issued an interim final rule on Jan. 22 that permanently codifies helicopter and powered‑lift restrictions around Washington’s Reagan National Airport following the Jan. 29, 2025 Black Hawk‑CRJ700 collision. The rule lowers the vertical‑lift altitude ceiling to 1,500 feet and defines “essential” flights—medical,...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 21, 2026
The Accountability Problem Exposed by the First Garmin Autoland Deployment
Garmin’s Emergency Autoland, designed for pilot incapacitation, saw its first operational use on Dec 20, 2025 when a Beechcraft King Air B200 experienced rapid depressurization. The system automatically engaged and guided the aircraft to a safe landing at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, while...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 16, 2026
Jeppesen ForeFlight CEO Cites Automation and AI in Justification for Layoffs
Jeppesen ForeFlight announced significant layoffs, citing automation and artificial intelligence as drivers of change. The cuts come months after Boeing divested the two aviation‑software units, which were bought by private‑equity firm Thoma Bravo. CEO Brad Surak emphasized the need to modernize development...
By The Air Current
News•Jan 16, 2026
United Converts 56 787-9s to -10s as GE and Rolls Spar for Engine Deal and A350 Looms
United Airlines announced it will convert 56 pending Boeing 787‑9 orders into the larger 787‑10 model. The shift addresses chronic gate shortages and limited air‑traffic‑control capacity at U.S. airports. United has not yet chosen an engine supplier for the aircraft,...
By The Air Current