During the holiday period, the FutureFlight newsletter will not appear on December 28. Our first edition of 2024 will be published on January 4.

Overair's five-passenger Butterfly aircraft is set to start flight testing early in 2024, using a first full-scale prototype assembled at its facility in Santa Ana, California. The company will work now to validate the proprietary Optimum Speed Tilt Rotor and Individual Blade Control technology it says sets its eVTOL model apart from competitors as it pursues entry into service in 2028.

In what is likely the largest deal to date covering hybrid-electric aircraft, public charter operator JSX says it will renew and expand its fleet from 2028 with a mix of Electra's nine-passenger eSTOL model, Aura Aero's 19-seat ERA, and Heart Aerospace's 30-seat ES-30. The jointly-announced agreements collectively cover 132 firm orders and 200 options, but, for now, it is not clear how the transactions will be financed.

Miami-based start-up UrbanX signed a memorandum of understanding with Eve Air Mobility to develop plans for air taxi services in South Florida that could launch in 2026. Meanwhile, Brazilian regulators are seeking input on proposals for the special airworthiness criteria they intend to use for the type certification of the manufacturer's four-passenger eVTOL, which is expected to make a first test flight in 2024.

Wings Logistics Hub, a tech start-up backed by Abu Dhabi investment group Ethmar International Holding, has signed a purchase agreement for 100 of EHang's EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft. The Chinese manufacturer says it could start deliveries in the first quarter of 2024, and its new partner will help it to achieve type certification in the UAE.

Communities in Norway's remote Lofoten islands have signed up for a joint project with seaplane developer Elfly to develop plans for electric air services on routes of up to around 200 miles that would provide better connections with the mainland. Elfly aims to start flight testing a prototype for its six- to 13-seat Noemi amphibious aircraft in 2025.

AIBot has emerged from stealth mode with plans to introduce a seven-seat eVTOL aircraft with highly automated flight controls powered by artificial intelligence. Honeywell Aerospace is providing its compact fly-by-wire flight control system for the single-pilot aircraft, which the company intends to certify in 2028. Having recently received a $15 million award from the California Competes grant program, AIBot is preparing to launch a funding round in January.

EASA has issued two sets of Environmental Protection Technical Specifications to signal its intention to be the driving force for noise regulation for eVTOL aircraft. These cover aircraft powered by both non-tilting and tilting rotors, with the agency saying the noise limits for approach, takeoff, and overflight are the same for both categories.

Lyte Aviation and KookieJar make plans for modular vertiports; plus the next phase of Agility Prime evaluation is set to begin for the Air One personal eVTOL vehicle; Wisk Aero updates its concept of operations for autonomous eVTOLs; and Crisalion and Bluenest launch vertiport development partnership.

As part of preparations for the World Expo to be hosted by the city of Osaka in 2025, Volocopter took the technology demonstrator for its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft to Japan for some public display flights. Local school students were among those who witnessed the flights over Osaka Bay, as the German company's chief test pilot Paul Stone explains in this video.