French start-up Ascendance Flight Technologies has made significant changes to the design of its four-passenger hybrid-electric Atea VTOL aircraft, adding six more in-wing ducted fans and an extra horizontal propeller in the tail. With new funding in place, the company now says it should be ready to start flight testing a full-scale prototype in 2023.

Under the terms of an agreement signed on December 1, Neom has committed to buying 10 of Volocopter's VoloCity passenger eVTOL vehicles and five of its cargo-carrying VoloDrones.The two companies will collaborate to develop public transit services for communities in the Neom development in northwest Saudi Arabia.

Textron's eAviation team, which formed in March 2021, continues to evaluate and define its ambitions in electric aviation and the wider advanced air mobility sector. According to Rob Scholl, who leads the unit, the company won't publicly confirm new active programs until the business case for these is fully established, but it will explore alliances with technology and capital partners.

Cranfield Aerospace Solutions is acting as systems integrator for Project Fresson's plans to convert the nine-passenger Islander utility aircraft to run on gaseous hydrogen, using fuel cells provided by Ricardo UK, fuel tanks from Innovatus Technologies, and fuel cell cooling technology from Reaction Engines. The program is backed by Britten-Norman, which has been manufacturing the Islanders since the late 1960s.

Sweden's Heart Aerospace says it has commitments from two airlines for up to 220 examples of its electric-powered ES-19 commuter aircraft. The program just received further support with the appointment of aerostructures specialist Aernnova as a design partner. The Spain-based group has extensive experience with building aerostructures for leading manufacturers, including Boeing and Airbus.

According to JetBlue Ventures president Amy Burr, the U.S. airline wants to have its finger on the pulse of new technology and business models with the potential to transform the wider travel industry. In her view, the Covid pandemic proved to be a significant driver of change, with passengers wanting a lower-touch experience and more of the efficiencies that digital systems deliver. Improving air transport's environmental sustainability is another priority factor behind the group's investment decisions.

Russia's Central Institute for Aviation Motors is taking the lead in research and development work on the EU-RPD-350T power unit, which incorporates a piston engine and an electric motor that can operate in parallel to drive propellers. Possible applications for the powertrain, which could eventually run on liquid hydrogen, include new hybrid-electric VTOL and fixed-wing aircraft.

Advanced air mobility ground infrastructure specialist Skyports is one of 30 companies partnered with Paris airport operator Groupe ADP to advance plans to launch eVTOL air taxi services in and around the French capital in time for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The company is designing and building a modular vertiport at Cergy-Pontoise Airport to be used as an operational testbed for several aircraft that could be provided by partners including Airbus, EHang, Vertical Aerospace, Volocopter, and Pipistrel.

EHang has been stepping up its busy schedule of public flight demonstrations with its family of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles. Probably the most eye-catching display lately involved six of the eVTOL vehicles flying in a low-altitude close formation at an undisclosed coastal location, most likely in China. Five of the aircraft are the two-seat EH216 model, while the sixth is an example of the cargo-carrying vehicle derived from it.

In late November, EHang demonstrated an EH216 at the Indonesia resort of Bali. The public debut in the Southeast Asian country was made with the cooperation of local partner Prestige Aviation, and with the approval of Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Faradair's Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft program has been in development since 2014. In September 2020, it was able to establish a permanent home at Duxford, where it intends to build a full-scale prototype and complete type certification by the end of 2026.