Bristow, Electra, Avinor, Norwegian CAA to Trial Regional Electric-Aircraft Services
Bristow Group, Electra, Avinor and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority have signed a contract for a second international test of zero‑ and low‑emission aircraft. The partnership will showcase Electra’s hybrid‑electric Ultra Short nine‑passenger plane, targeting routes of 80‑800 km and operating from ultra‑short access points the size of a football field. Testing will progress from small northern airports to novel sites such as parking lots, and aim to begin mid‑2027 after a six‑month preparation phase. The program seeks operational, infrastructural and regulatory insights to accelerate regional electric‑aircraft services.
SkyDrive Becomes Japan’s First eVTOL Developer to Earn “Approved Design Organization” Certification
SkyDrive has become the first Japanese eVTOL developer to receive Approved Design Organization (ADO) certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. The ADO status confirms SkyDrive’s robust quality‑control and safety‑management systems for aircraft design and post‑design inspections. As of April...
Boeing Spain Launches VARIANT Air Traffic Management System for Autonomous Aircraft
Boeing Aerospace Spain has launched the VARIANT project to validate air‑space integration of electric and autonomous aircraft in urban corridors. The initiative, led by SkyGrid, will deploy radar, ADS‑B, FLARM sensors, AI‑driven micro‑weather models, vertiport slot‑management tools, and GNSS spoofing...
AUTOFLIGHT “Completes Autonomous eVTOL Cargo Flight Across Mountainous Guizhou”
Chinese eVTOL maker AUTOFLIGHT successfully completed the nation’s first two‑ton‑class autonomous cargo flight, moving fresh spring tea between Anshun and Guiyang in Guizhou. The 120‑km mountain crossing took just 37 minutes, a dramatic speed gain over winding road routes. After...
Sarla Announces Investment for ‘Indian Air Taxi Network’, Explores Vertiport at Cochin
IndiGo Ventures has made a strategic equity investment in Sarla Aviation, marking the first step toward India’s nationwide air‑taxi network. The funding will support the development of eVTOL operations that connect major airports to vertiports closer to final destinations. Sarla...
NAV CANADA Study Predicts Twenty-Fold Growth in AAM and RPAS Operations by 2045
NAV CANADA’s new study projects that advanced air mobility (AAM) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) could inject up to $120 bn CAD (about $90 bn USD) into Canada’s economy each year by 2045, creating more than 260,000 jobs. Current 2024 activity...
“World’s First Dedicated eVTOL Commercial Vertiport Is Now Completed – in Dubai”
Joby Aviation announced the completion of the world’s first dedicated eVTOL commercial vertiport adjacent to Dubai International Airport. The four‑story, 3,100 sqm facility includes two landing pads, a two‑level car park, climate‑controlled passenger areas and charging infrastructure, designed to handle up...
India’s Vman Aviation to Buy 10 SkyClinic Flying Hospitals From LYTE Aviation
Vman Aviation of India has committed up to $500 million to purchase ten SkyClinic flying hospitals from LYTE Aviation, with an initial $10 million down payment. The SkyClinic is a hybrid‑hydrogen electric tilt‑wing eVTOL that can carry a 4.5‑ton payload, travel 1,000 km,...
Vertical Aerospace Reports “Two-Way Piloted Transition Flight in Full-Scale Tiltrotor eVTOL”
Vertical Aerospace announced on 14 April 2026 that its chief test pilot completed the first two‑way piloted transition flight in a full‑scale tiltrotor eVTOL under civil aviation Design Organisation Approval. The flight demonstrated vertical take‑off, wing‑borne cruise and vertical landing...
AIR Announces First Flight of Its Heavylift UAS
Israel‑based AIR has completed the maiden flight of its production Cargo‑Heavy Lift unmanned aircraft, a VTOL platform capable of lifting roughly 550 lb. The system, built around next‑generation motors, advanced batteries and mature avionics, is designed for autonomous logistics with minimal...
Korean University Students Invited to Build UAM Aircraft and Plan Vertiports of the Future
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority have launched the 2026 National University Student UAM Olympiad, inviting university teams to design urban air‑mobility aircraft and plan vertiport infrastructure. The competition runs from April 10...
Eve Air Mobility “Exceeds 50 eVTOL Test Flights – Six Aircraft Dedicated to Certification Campaign”
Eve Air Mobility announced its full‑scale engineering prototype has completed its 50th successful test flight, accumulating more than two hours of airborne time since the maiden flight on Dec. 19, 2025. The milestone provides high‑fidelity data that deepens the company’s...
Horizon Aircraft Partners with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Subsidiary to Progress VTOL Engineering
Horizon Aircraft has teamed up with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ subsidiary MHI RJ Aviation Group to advance its hybrid‑electric VTOL platform, the Cavorite X7. MHI RJ will supply specialist engineering services, focusing on flight‑test instrumentation that will capture critical data during...
Airbility, iBuzz, KILSA Partner to Develop High-Speed Security eVTOLs
South Korean eVTOL developer Airbility has signed an MoU with Thailand’s NT iBuzz, SmartOkO Thailand, and Singapore‑based KILSA Global to develop high‑speed, security‑focused unmanned aircraft. The partnership will combine Airbility’s high‑speed eVTOL platform with iBuzz’s secure communications, SmartOkO’s AI video‑analytics,...
EASA Proposes Lower Safety Criteria for eVTOL Test Flights
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a draft Certification Memorandum (CM‑21.A-P-002) that lowers safety criteria for eVTOL development flights. The proposal sets flight conditions for aircraft up to 250 knots and a maximum take‑off mass of 5,700 kg, allowing limited...