Swiss start-up Sirius Aviation has revealed the design for its Sirius Jet, a hydrogen-electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities that the company intends to have certified and in service by 2025. Sirius intends to produce two variants of the aircraft, one tailored for private use and the other for commercial air taxi services. 

In preparation for the anticipated launch of eVTOL air taxi operations in the U.S. in 2025, business aviation services group Atlantic Aviation is forging infrastructure and operational planning partnerships with eVTOL aircraft rivals Joby and Archer. This will include electric recharging sites being established at airports in New York, California, and Florida to support several cities that will be early adopters of eVTOL air taxi services.

Under a new memorandum of understanding, Dubai-based logistics group Aramex Emirates is working with Odys Aviation to define concepts of operations for the Laila uncrewed air vehicle and the larger Alta regional aircraft. Laila is expected to have a range of 450 miles with a 130-pound payload, while Alta would operate on sectors of up to 750 miles.

A new partnership with Fraport marks the next stage in Lilium's plans to prepare the ground infrastructure needed to integrate its Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft into regional air transportation networks. The companies have said they will conduct exploratory studies but have yet to confirm whether they will jointly develop and run facilities such as vertiports.

Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive has announced partnerships with the Indian state of Gujarat and Hyderabad-based Cyrient aimed at preparing the ecosystem for advanced air mobility services in the country's crowded cities. Existing investor Suzuki Motor Corporation has agreed to provide further capital through a Series C funding round.

Almost 150 speakers and 37 exhibiting companies are set to participate in the Vertical Flight Society's Transformative Vertical Flight event, which will also include the 11th annual Electric VTOL Symposium. Speakers will include leaders from major agencies such as the FAA, EASA, and NASA, as well as the U.S. Army and Air Force. Two eVTOL aircraft are expected to be on display in Santa Clara, California, among 37 exhibiting companies.

NASA unveiled the X-59 quiet supersonic technology demonstrator aircraft, plus businesses in Hawaii are making the case for operating Regent's Viceroy sea glider, Safran is to supply electrical wiring for VoltAero's Cassio aircraft, ZeroAvia and Airbus are both stepping up work on how hydrogen fuel can be stored and supplied, and eVTOL developer Crisalion wins Spanish government funding.

Anyone following the path to market for new advanced air mobility services can see that manufacturers and operators of new eVTOL aircraft have a mountain to climb to get the supporting infrastructure in place for this new mode of transportation. Fortunately, there are plenty of experts and stakeholders who are willing to help make this happen. To assess how that task is going, AIN Media Group convened a panel of industry leaders who in various ways are involved in establishing infrastructure including vertiports and electric recharging facilities. Here you can tune into the whole discussion.