Aerofugia showcased its AE200 eVTOL aircraft at the Aero Asia show in Zhuhai, where the Chengdu-based company highlighted its latest advances in urban and regional air mobility. The start-up is backed by China’s Geely automotive group.

Omni Helicopters International stands out in a business aviation sector that has generally remained quite reserved, and even skeptical, about the viability of urban and advanced air mobility. This year has seen the company doubling down on its efforts to diversify beyond rotorcraft operations into new markets, including eVTOL air taxis and drone services.

Archer Aviation has revealed the locations in Miami where it intends to introduce vertiport infrastructure for electric air taxi operations with its four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft. The company’s proposed vertiport network would connect Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. 

Two years after signing a contract for 100 of Aerofugia’s AE200 eVTOL aircraft, Hong Kong-based business aviation services group Sino Jet has ordered another 50 of the five-passenger model. The deal agreed during last week’s Aero Asia show in Zhuhai marks the first stage of commercial deployment under what Sino Jet describes as its “business aviation + eVTOL” strategy, aimed at integrating high-altitude and low-altitude mobility operations.

Germany’s DLR Aerospace Research Center has deployed a Dassault Falcon 20E to monitor contrail formation in European airspace. On November 26, the agency reported that the specially equipped jet has been following airliners operated by German carrier TUIfly.

Eve Air Mobility will power its eVTOL aircraft with an electric propulsion system developed by Beta Technologies. The company confirmed the selection of the electric pusher motors on December 2 after an evaluation process that started in the summer.

Joby Aviation has filed a lawsuit against rival eVTOL manufacturer Archer Aviation, alleging that the latter committed corporate espionage. The lawsuit, filed with the Superior Court of California in Santa Cruz on November 19, claims that a former Joby employee who joined Archer’s team in August misappropriated trade secrets and attempted to undercut an existing deal between Joby and a “major” real estate developer.