South Florida start-up carrier UrbanLink placed orders for 20 of Lilium’s six-passenger eVTOL aircraft and plans to launch flights connecting locations such as Miami, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Marco Island. Announcing the agreement on Monday, the European manufacturer said it includes options for 20 more Lilium Jets and scheduled pre-delivery payments.

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The German government’s Digital and Transport department is backing the new Balis 2.0 project to develop hydrogen-powered regional airliners with €9.3 million ($10 million) in funding. The program, which is led by H2Fly and Diehl Aerospace, is aiming to start ground testing 350-kilowatt fuel cells in 2025.

MightyFly is testing its 100-pound-payload Cento eVTOL freighter using an FAA-approved flight corridor in California. Since March, the start-up has conducted over 30 autonomous flights, and with partners is now starting missions carrying medical and pharmaceutical supplies, spare parts, manufacturing components, and consumer goods to demonstrate the aircraft’s suitability as a business-to-business logistics platform.

EHang on Monday conducted what it said is the first passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft flight in the Middle East, when its EH216-S took a senior executive from its local partner in Abu Dhabi for a demonstration ride. The Chinese company said it had also demonstrated the EH216-L and EH216-F in their respective cargo-carrying and fire-fighting roles.

Leasing group ASL Aviation Holdings this week placed deposits covering orders for 30 of Reliable Robotics’ flight automation systems to be installed in Cessna 208B Caravan aircraft. The agreement, announced on May 2, gives the Ireland-based group early delivery slots for the technology, for which Reliable Robotics is now seeking certification.

Vertical Aerospace is rebooting its leadership team with CFO Stuart Simpson appointed as the eVTOL aircraft developer’s CEO. He takes over from founder and CEO Stephen Fitzpatrick, who remains a board member after recently committing additional capital to support the UK company’s efforts to bring its four-passenger VX4 vehicle to market in 2026.

Manta Aircraft is expanding work on its Ann family of hybrid-electric aircraft through a new partnership with IT engineering group Altair. The European start-up will participate in Altair’s Aerospace Accelerator Program to finalize the designs for the scalable vertical and short takeoff and landing aircraft for which it aims to achieve initial certification in 2027.

For the past five years, AIN reporters have been digging deep to tell the story of how new technologies such as electric propulsion systems and flight automation are forging a new future for aviation. Our FutureFlight news and information platform has mainly focused on the advanced air mobility sector, where an unprecedented number of new electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft are in development.

Aviation is changing for the better and at an extraordinary pace. Stay close to the AIN news team as we tell the story of the future of flight.