Ferrovial and Vertical Aerospace intend to build 25 vertiports across the UK to support air taxi operations using the UK start-up's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. Virgin Atlantic Airways, which intends to buy between 50 and 150 of the all-electric vehicles, plans to launch scheduled domestic services in the UK that could include connections to London Heathrow Airport.

Concerns over type certification complexity as well as input from prospective customers were behind Eviation's decision to move the propellers of its all-electric Alice aircraft from the wingtips to the tail. The company, which is targeting passenger and freight applications for the all-electric aircraft from 2024, says the new configuration will result in greater stability and enhanced fly-by-wire performance, while also delivering more power from its larger propellers.

Johnny Doo, who is leading NASA's Transformative Vertical Flight Working Group on Public Services, says that because eVTOL aircraft are less complex and easier to operate than traditional rotorcraft they could give disaster-relief agencies a new approach to getting help where it is needed.

ZeroAvia and its Dutch partners are in talks with airlines that might be prepared to start operating a hydrogen-powered 19-seat regional airliner on scheduled services connecting Rotterdam and London. The propulsion pioneer expects to start test flights with a converted Dornier 228 aircraft before the end of 2021.

Skyryse is working to certify the FlightOS automation system with general aviation manufacturers, including helicopter maker Robinson. With further funding from venture capital groups, the California-based start-up has now raised $250 million.

MTU Aero Engines is working with the government-backed DLR German Aerospace Center to develop a fuel cell powertrain technology demonstrator using a 19-seat Dorner 228. Now, EASA has asked the company to collaborate in developing standards, requirements, and processes for achieving type certification for the equipment, which is expected to form the basis for hydrogen-powered airliners.

Half a dozen new NASA research and development contracts worth almost $20 million will support work by GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney. The work will focus on four areas: advanced high-pressure compressors; advanced high-pressure turbine aerodynamics; development of ceramic matrix composite liners for combustors; and development of CMCs and environmental barrier coatings for turbine blades and vanes.

Fuel cells appear to be the most likely basis for new hydrogen-electric aircraft propulsion systems. The other option under consideration is for direct combustion of liquid hydrogen by gas turbine engines.

Chemicals group BASF is advancing the development of high-performance membranes that it says will support higher power from fuel cells, while also reducing their weight. Its membrane-electrode assembly is expected to achieve more than 3,000-W/kg specific power, representing an increase of at least 50 percent over current technology.

The German company recently announced it is working with HyPoint to support plans for its turbo air-cooled hydrogen fuel cells to be able to power larger aircraft from 2024. It has produced a helpful video to explain how fuel cells work. It provides a clear snapshot of how hydrogen and oxygen in fuel cells react in a controlled manner to produce water, in the process generating electricity, without harmful emissions.

Since it launched in 2018, Japan's SkyDrive has raised more than $50 million in investment to support its goal of developing a family of flying cars and other urban air mobility vehicles.