Lilium is edging closer in securing access to loan guarantees that will support work bringing its eVTOL aircraft to market, with Germany’s federal government and the state of Bavaria having commissioned state development bank KfW in Frankfurt to conduct due diligence on the company. Announcing the news on Wednesday, CEO Klaus Roewe said he anticipates a “swift process” with Lilium aiming for a secured loan of at least €100 million ($108 million).

The Nexus eVTOL aircraft is coming together at Textron eAviation’s Wichita headquarters as the company prepares to begin flight testing its hybrid-electric Nuuva V300 cargo drone later this year. “We really have been focused on various aspects of engineering [the Nexus] over the past two years and validating that engineering, and we've moved into the build process,” Textron eAviation president and CEO Kriya Shortt told reporters in a media briefing. “This is a pivotal year for us because pieces are starting to come together,” she said, adding that the team is in the process of mating the aircraft’s wing with the fuselage.

Eve Air Mobility this week released still images and video giving glimpses of what it says is progress in building the first full-scale example of the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft it aims to bring to market in 2026. The airframe is now being assembled at a new facility at Taubaté in Brazil’s São Paulo state, but the company has not provided an update as to when it will be ready to start test flights.

Archer aims to reduce operating expenses during the second quarter of this year, after incurring higher costs in the first quarter as it works to bring its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft to market in early 2025. On Thursday, the U.S. company reported that first-quarter non-GAAP expenses totaled $142.2 million in the first three months of this year and predicted it will reduce this to between $80 million and $95 million in the second quarter.

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding Piasecki Aircraft Corporation to continue an evaluation into the feasibility of using hydrogen fuel cells to power VTOL aircraft. The Pennsylvania-based company on Monday announced that it has been awarded a small business innovation research contract for an undisclosed amount.

Leasing group Monte is to offer financing options for operators of Regent’s wing-in-ground-effect electric-powered sea gliders under an agreement announced by the companies this week. Monte has committed to adding both the 12-passenger Viceroy and the planned 100-passenger Monarch to its portfolio, without specifying how many of each type it will buy in a reportedly $300 million deal.

Jekta has provided a glimpse of what it will be like to travel in its electric PHA-ZE 100 amphibious aircraft by unveiling cabin interior designs. This week, the Swiss start-up published drawings showing its economy class 19-seat Traveller configuration and the more spacious Corporate model.

Archer is stepping up activity at the integrated test lab and manufacturing facility in San Jose, where it conducting the early phases of production for its Midnight eVTOL aircraft. The company released a video to show how the battery pack production line works along side the electric engine lab and aircraft final assembly area. Higher rates of production for the aircraft will be conducted in Archer's new factory at Covington in Georgia.