The long-anticipated consolidation in the crowded, and some say over-hyped, advanced air mobility (AAM) sector appears to have gathered momentum since late last year. In the U.S., little has been heard from many of the players vying for attention over the first half of the 2020s, but the most visible signs have been the collapse in funding for former European eVTOL aircraft frontrunners Lilium and Volocopter.

Developers of eVTOL aircraft have made some inroads into the rotorcraft sector with operators such as Bristow, Air-Dynamic, Blade, Omni, and Helisul having signed provisional purchase agreements with several companies, including Eve Air Mobility and Beta Technologies.

Nonetheless, the only manufacturers with active programs exhibiting this week at Verticon are Joby Aviation, Bell Textron, and Boeing (through its Wisk Aero subsidiary). Part of the reason for industry group Helicopter Association International to rename itself Vertical Aviation International last year was a declared intention to include AAM companies in its fold.

The AAM enclave at the Dallas event this week would have included Airbus until the European aerospace group surprised the market in late January by pausing plans to bring its four-passenger CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL to market. It cited limitations in available battery technology as the main reason for the decision, indicating that it doesn’t rule out resurrecting the program at a later date.

Recent comments from Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, have prompted some doubts as to whether the group might walk away from its investment in the AAM sector as part of a wider rationalization that might see it jettison subsidiaries such as aviation software group Jeppesen and electronic flight bag app provider ForeFlight. Wisk Aero stands apart among Western eVTOL developers in remaining resolutely determined that air-taxi services will be viable only with completely autonomous, no-pilot-on-board operations—an approach that it acknowledges likely pushes type certification and entry into service into the next decade.

However, helicopter OEM Bell is actively involved in the development of the Nexus eVTOL being advanced by the eAviation division of its Textron group parent. The first full-scale prototype for the four-passenger vehicle is under construction at Textron’s Glass House facility next to McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, with Bell engineers contributing to the work, along with colleagues from the company’s Pipistrel and McCauley propeller subsidiaries.

Joby Is Among eVTOL Frontrunners

From among the hundreds of eVTOL start-ups, California-based Joby Aviation is preparing to start flight-testing its four-passenger aircraft under the type inspection authorization issued by the FAA as it strives to meet its latest target for U.S. type certification by the end of this year. As funding for rival companies seems to be drying up, Joby is operating with healthy cash reserves estimated at almost $1 billion, following a further investment commitment of $500 million from its main backer, Toyota, in October.

Along with rivals such as Archer Aviation, Joby is actively pursuing opportunities to establish early eVTOL use cases in international markets, including the UAE, Japan, and Australia. Europe appears to be a tough nut to crack, with eVTOL manufacturers such as Lilium, Volocopter, and the UK’s Vertical Aerospace wading through protracted local type certification processes at high rates of cash burn.

In the U.S., frontrunners Joby and Archer have said little about where they now stand on their respective timelines to certify their eVTOL aircraft and launch the commercial operations so eagerly awaited by investors. The most significant and immediate question mark would seem to be over possible shifts in strategic priorities and resources at the FAA, which is among many U.S. agencies now facing scrutiny from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

All eyes are now on acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau as to whether momentum in bringing U.S.-made eVTOLs to market will be maintained. Conceivably, more pressing concerns—such as safety and staffing issues raised by the January 29 crash of a CRJ-700 regional airliner and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter at Washington Reagan National Airport—could result in this work falling down the list of the agency’s priorities.

According to Sergio Cecutta, an AAM advisor with SMG Consulting, the launch of commercial eVTOL services in early markets like the UAE is now not likely to happen until late 2026 or early 2027. "2025 is shaping up to be the year of 'no news, good news,'" he commented.