While such deals across the rising eVTOL industry seemingly represent a new aerospace business model in which customers have a stake in the overall success of the product, a detailed review of securities filings and other fine print by The Air Current reveals a far more transactional arrangement. Airlines are lending their branding and credibility in exchange for a possibly lucrative piece of a buzzy market, regardless of whether or not an aircraft will be delivered or even formally ordered.
Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Release DateNovember 9, 2023Comac resurfaces bigger and smaller C919s and new electric commuterPurchase...
When Embraer spinoff Eve on Dec. 21 confirmed plans to combine with Zanite Acquisition Corp., it became the sixth company in the urban air mobility space to link up with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Rather than speak to the continued strength of SPACs, however, the deal illustrates the funding vehicle’s decline as an ample source of outside capital — even as it cements Embraer’s strategy of using partnerships to expand into new markets.
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Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Release DateMay 18, 2023Funding top-offs come into focus as eVTOL developers continue drive...
Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber HEAR FROM THE AIR CURRENT Leave this field empty if you're human: Release...
Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Since 2016, when Uber Elevate launched electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft into...
Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Release DateApril 10, 2023The ballpark price for certifying an eVTOL is going upPurchase...
Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Release DateNovember 10, 2023The competition around an eVTOL charging standard heats upPurchase a...
NetJets and FlightSafety International – both units of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway – have jumped into the electric vertical take-off and landing market, announcing plans for a strategic partnership with the German eVTOL developer Lilium. Buffett’s aviation investments have been stretched across the aerospace chain and with varying success.
Chorus Aviation is acquiring Falko Regional Aircraft, kicking off a fresh round of consolidation in the leasing space -- this time among those who focus on regional aviation.
The Federal Aviation Administration and U.K. Civil Aviation Authority have started working toward a bilateral agreement for the future certification and validation of eVTOL aircraft. It’s a post-Brexit signal that the CAA is not looking exclusively to Europe for guidance.
Elan Head and Jon Ostrower·
Joby Aviation's lead test aircraft crashed on Feb. 16, kicking off an NTSB investigation that could have implications for the aggressive timeline the company has embraced to be the first eVTOL company to fly passengers in 2024.
FAA Administrator Steve Dickson has resigned. The U.S.'s top aviation regulator was about half way though his five year term. His dealings with Boeing will be the defining characteristic of his time at the agency.
The UAE offered its preliminary report on the bizarre circumstances around Emirates 231. The brief report confirms much of The Air Current's reporting on the Dec. 20 botched takeoff out of Dubai.
Jon Ostrower and Elan Head·
Boeing rolls-out final 747 EVERETT — It was the one-thousand five-hundredth and seventy-fourth — and final — time a 747...