Joby Aviation has agreed to acquire the passenger flight operations of Blade Air Mobility and will use the business as a key part of its plans to launch eVTOL air-taxi services. The companies announced the $125 million transaction on August 4, saying that Joby will be a partner for Blade’s medical transportation unit, which is to continue operating as a separate public company.

As the first manufacturer of a certified electric aircraft—the Pipistrel Velis Electro—Textron eAviation is refocusing resources on bringing new aircraft to market and improving existing aircraft while pausing progress on its eVTOL program. The Nexus One eVTOL, a four-passenger, single-pilot aircraft designed to fly up to 100 miles, was expected to achieve first tethered flight this year, but that program, under development at the company’s Glass House facility in Wichita, has been slowed down.

Bye Aerospace says it is advancing work on the electrically-powered eFlyer 2 flight training airplane it has had in development since 2021. During the EAA AirVenture show in July, the company's president and CEO, Rod Zastrow, told AIN it is focusing efforts and investment on the two seater and the four-seat eFlyer 4 model, with earlier plans for the nine-passenger eFlyer 800 now on hold.

Brazil's Líder Aviação has forged a partnership with electric aviation pioneer Beta Technologies, including the purchase of three of the U.S. manufacturer's in-development aircraft and options for 50 more. The companies announced the agreement on the eve of the LABACE show in São Paulo, and said the business aviation services group will also serve as Beta's sales representative in the country and operate a maintenance center.

EHang has conducted a flight trial with a cargo-carrying version of its uncrewed VT-20 eVTOL aircraft. On August 1, the Chinese manufacturer reported that the vehicle completed a round-trip delivery mission between the cities of Zhuhai and Guangzhou, covering a distance of just over 45 nm in 55 minutes.

The FAA’s new advisory circular covering type, production, and airworthiness certification of powered-lift aircraft (AC 21.17-4) has been widely welcomed among companies aiming to launch new eVTOL vehicles. Released on July 18, the document landed more than halfway into the year in which several of the advanced air mobility sector’s frontrunners have been aiming to complete U.S. certification, ending several years of uncertainty around the regulatory landscape.

Northrop Grumman has partnered with autonomous flight pioneer Merlin to integrate the highly automated Merlin Pilot flight control system into its Beacon testbed ecosystem, which will use a Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard demonstration aircraft to test and demonstrate autonomous flight solutions for defense applications. The partners intend to conduct a series of flight demonstrations later this year.

Aciturri Aerostructures has agreed to manufacture the airframe for Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft. The companies announced on August 4 that they have signed a long-term strategic partnership under which Spain-based Aciturri will produce the wing, empennage, pylons, and fuselage for the four-passenger model.

Part 3 of Leeham News & Analysis' five-part series examining the potential next generation of airliners planned for the coming decades is now online. This week, the report takes a closer look at aircraft projects 1 to 4 in shown in the diagram.