Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Tuesday announced a partnership with the Advanced Air Mobility Association (AAMA), a nonprofit initiative working with the private sector, universities, government, and other stakeholders to create “road maps” for the introduction of AAM aircraft, tailored for major U.S. cities. Under the agreement, AAMA will leverage the expertise of Embry-Riddle faculty and provide students with opportunities for project collaboration, internships, and more.

AAMA was launched publicly in April and is led by president and CEO Antonio Campello, an Embraer executive of more than 30 years who most recently headed Embraer-X—the company’s innovation arm and technology incubator.

Johann Bordais, president and CEO of Embraer air taxi arm Eve Air Mobility, a spinoff of EmbraerX, sits on the group’s board, which also includes Bristow Group executive David Stepanek and Republic Airways executive Charles Hillis. Both Bristow and Republic are Eve partners.

In addition, AAMA adviser Frank Di Bello previously served as president and CEO of Space Florida, an Eve investor. Michael Amalfitano, who sits on Eve’s board, is on Embry-Riddle’s board of trustees.

However, Campello told FLYING that AAMA receives no funding from Embraer or Eve and is fully agnostic, working with all platforms and OEMs and favoring no company. He said the group has been inviting AAM operators, aircraft manufacturers, industry groups, universities, and city governments to help build the ecosystem needed to bolster a new wave of transportation.

Passenger- or cargo-carrying electric air taxis, for example, will require vertiports, special takeoff and landing sites fitted with chargers and other equipment. Designing, building, operating, and regulating these sites will be a collaborative effort.

AAMA intends to establish “readiness laboratories,” where stakeholders can create and implement a minimum viable product (MVP). Businesses use MVPs, which typically are designed with just enough features to be usable for early customers, to gauge the feasibility of an idea. Essentially, the group is looking to launch a beta version of an AAM ecosystem and receive feedback from customers on how it could be improved.

AAMA will use funding generated from membership fees, grants, events, and fees charged to use its readiness labs to create reports describing how different regions can integrate air taxis and other novel aircraft. Per a pitch deck viewed by FLYING, it will also advocate for key regulations on Capitol Hill.

According to Embry-Riddle, AAMA will work with university faculty that lead AAM programs, such as within the Eagle Flight Research Center. Kyle Collins, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering and the director of the center, said it has been exploring the topic for years.

Embry-Riddle students will also be able to work directly with AAMA members on projects and will have opportunities to intern with the association and its member organizations.

“We’re excited to see our team of experienced professionals collaborating with researchers, faculty, and students to propose innovative and customized solutions aimed at implementing a safe and efficient advanced air mobility ecosystem in cities and regions across the globe,” said Campello.

Separately, Embry-Riddle is collaborating with the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), which manages Orlando International Airport (KMCO), to explore the integration of AAM operations at that site. In addition, researchers are working under a $1.4 million NASA grant to study how air taxis can take off quietly and safely in dense urban environments and turbulent conditions.

It’s unclear how much access AAMA will be granted to those projects, but the organization will hope to glean insights from top aviation experts.

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At the company’s flight test center at Cotswold Airport (EGBP) in England, Vertical pilots took the prototype through 70 individual test points, culminating in multiple hover flights of the aircraft while it was tethered to the ground.

The next step will be to remove the tether for piloted thrustborne flights, using lift generated by the aircraft’s propellers to perform vertical takeoffs and landings and low-speed maneuvers. The company is working with the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to expand its permit to fly, which would allow it to begin that phase.

“It took us just one week to go from our first ground test to our chief test pilot flying the VX4, and we have been making outstanding progress since then,” said Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical.

According to Vertical, that pace of progress is three times faster than what its previous prototype accomplished.

That model crashed during an uncrewed test at Cotswold in August 2023 after a failed pylon affected the way the aircraft’s flight control system communicated with its motors, causing it to tumble about 30 feet onto the runway. The impact caused enough damage to retire the model from flight testing and force a delay to piloted untethered flight testing, which the company had hoped to complete last year.

Vertical rebounded by kicking off testing of its current VX4 prototype in July, just under one year after the crash. According to the firm, the new design is significantly more powerful.

A 20 percent increase in the aircraft’s power-to-weight ratio, by the company’s estimate, enables speeds up to 150 mph—the intended cruise speed for its flagship aircraft. The design includes Vertical’s next generation propellers and proprietary battery systems, as well as components supplied by partners such as Honeywell, Leonardo, GKN Aerospace, and Molicel. The company says it is developing an identical prototype that will further accelerate its test campaign.

Across 20 piloted test sorties, the prototype VX4 simulated flight maneuvers and scenarios—including those outside of expected operating conditions—to validate safety.

Engineers gauged how the aircraft responded to simulated failures to prove that it could fly safely even in unanticipated conditions. Vertical deliberately failed one of the prototype’s electric propulsion units (EPUs) during a piloted tether flight, for example, to confirm that its other engines automatically output maximum power to compensate. Pilots also failed EPUs during high-speed taxi to validate the aircraft’s ground handling capabilities.

Other tests focused on the model’s powertrain and propellers, preflight operations, and ability to handle turbulence.

“These tests have enabled Vertical engineers to collect and measure 35,000 flight and system parameters and verify that all systems are operating correctly and safely in different conditions ahead of further expanding the flight test envelope to piloted thrustborne flight,” the company said.

Following thrustborne flight, phase three of the test campaign will introduce conventional takeoffs, landings, and flight, with lift generated by the wing. The final phase is expected to tie everything together, with the VX4 transitioning seamlessly between thrustborne and wingborne flight.

That full transition flight has been achieved by only a handful of eVTOL manufacturers and is considered a key testing milestone.

After the VX4 prototype completes a transition flight at Cotswold, Vertical will turn to for-credit testing with the U.K. CAA, from which it is seeking a type certificate by 2026.

The firm has several marquee customers, including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic, that have already placed orders for its flagship model. It estimates the value of its order backlog at around $6 billion, based on about 1,500 preorders.

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This week during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s inaugural Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Summit in Montreal, Joby took the first step in securing an air operator certificate from the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)—a requirement to operate commercial air transport in the country.

Company leaders met with the aviation regulator’s director general, presenting a letter of intent to begin the application process.

Joby earlier this year signed multiple agreements with regional Emirati agencies in preparation to fly in the UAE’s two largest cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as early as 2026. It announced similar plans for neighboring Saudi Arabia in May.

“There is incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE, and we’re excited to be working with a wide range of partners, including the GCAA, to lay the groundwork for one of the world’s first electric air taxi networks,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby.

Joby’s all-electric air taxi takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter but flies on fixed wings like a plane, with some help from unique tilting propellers. It is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers, cruising as fast as 200 mph (174 knots).

The company estimates that a trip between Dubai International Airport (OMDB) and the Palm Jumeirah—a group of artificial islands on the city’s waterside—for example, would take about 10 minutes by air taxi versus 45 minutes by car.

Joby’s LOI for an air operator certificate is the first step toward making those flights a reality. Similar to the FAA’s Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate, which Joby obtained in 2022, the approval will authorize the company as a commercial operator. The certification process comprises five phases, culminating in GCAA observation of flight operations and pilot and mechanic training. The company will also devise air taxi operating manuals and host inspections of its UAE facilities.

“Our readiness to support these advanced technologies underscores our commitment to fostering advanced air mobility solutions that will be part of the future of transportation in the UAE and beyond,” said Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director general of the GCAA.

Joby is not alone in the Middle East. The region has become somewhat of a hot spot for eVTOL manufacturers in recent years, luring companies with the promise of extensive government support and financing.

For example, rival air taxi firm Archer Aviation similarly plans to fly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where, despite Joby’s claim to exclusive air taxi operator rights, Archer CEO Adam Goldstein believes the competitors can coexist.

“We believe we will be able to operate [in Dubai], and we will have a strong hub out of Abu Dhabi,” Goldstein told FLYING in March. “We’re glad to see Joby coming to the region and leaning in, because we think it’s a good early market for eVTOL players to start.”

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The space agency on Monday introduced the Airborne Instrumentation for Real-world Video of Urban Environments, or AIRVUE—a specially designed pod that attaches to the bottom of a helicopter and can train AAM aircraft to “see” obstacles in their path. The technology is designed to hone computer vision systems for autonomous flight.

Agency researchers in April conducted initial AIRVUE testing at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, attaching it to a piloted NASA helicopter to survey the environment.

“The computer algorithms that will enable the aircraft to sense the environment must be reliable and proven to work in many flight circumstances,” NASA said. “NASA data promises that fidelity, making this an important resource for industry.”

Developed and built at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the pod is equipped with cameras and sensors to collect visual information on weather and other hazards, compiling them into a massive dataset that will be shared with AAM manufacturers.

In the space agency’s view, data collected independently by manufacturers is seldom shared with competitors. That creates fragmentation in an industry the U.S. hopes to one day lead.

“Data is the fuel for machine learning,” said Nelson Brown, lead NASA researcher for the AIRVUE project. “We hope to inspire innovation by providing the computer vision community with realistic flight scenarios. Accessible datasets have been essential to advances in driver aids and self-driving cars, but so far, we haven’t seen open datasets like this in aviation.”

The space agency said it plans to develop more pods that integrate with other aircraft once it refines and evaluates the Airvue design.

This is not NASA’s first foray into self-flying systems. In 2022, for instance, it contracted autonomous flight developer Xwing, which in June was acquired by electric air taxi firm Joby Aviation, to design a safety management system for uncrewed flight.

Joby is just one of the manufacturers collaborating with NASA under its AAM mission, which seeks to give commercial firms the data they need to safely integrate air taxis, drones, and other vehicles within the national airspace.

Also working with the agency are Boeing self-flying air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero and Archer Aviation, which last year agreed to make Wisk the sole provider of autonomy systems for its flagship Midnight air taxi. Joby and Archer’s aircraft will fly with a pilot at launch, but both anticipate a move to uncrewed flight in the future.

NASA’s research with these companies has spanned everything from turbulence and noise to battery safety and simulated operations around busy U.S. airports. The space agency has also operated self-flying drones to further study automated AAM operations.

Drones operations are on the agenda too. This month, for example, NASA gathered representatives from the drone industry, police and fire departments, and FAA to help the regulator develop a rule for operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the pilot.

In lieu of a final BVLOS regulation, the FAA awards these permissions via waiver. Lifting BVLOS restrictions is expected to greatly expand the service area for drone delivery by allowing operators to essentially manage their own airspace—with FAA supervision, of course.

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The annual event, held at the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby Henderson Executive Airport (KHND), will include an Emerging Tech Pavilion showcasing a who’s who of advanced air mobility (AAM) companies developing technology that has the potential to shape aviation’s future.

The initial list, which the NBAA said will be expanded, comprises electric VTOL (eVTOL) air taxi firm Joby Aviation, eVTOL jet manufacturer Lilium, and hybrid-electric ultra short aircraft developer Electra. Also in attendance will be a collection of “key leaders in government and industry,” though the organization did not specify who.

“More than ever, this year’s NBAA-BACE will gather the innovations that are redefining what’s possible in aviation and revolutionizing on-demand air mobility, with the Emerging Tech Pavilion offering participants an up-close look at a host of AAM concepts,” the NBAA said.

Within the AAM space, Joby is well known for being one of the handful of firms already working closely with the FAA on type certification.

The company is building a fully electric air taxi designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on trips up to 100 sm (87 nm), cruising at 200 mph (174 knots), though it is optimized for intracity routes under 50 sm (43 nm). Unlike competitors such as Archer Aviation, it will operate the aircraft itself rather than selling it to airlines, though it does have a partnership with Delta Air Lines.

Among eVTOL manufacturers, Joby is arguably the closest to achieving type certification, having already begun flight testing with a production prototype. It’s also developing a liquid hydrogen-powered air taxi that could accommodate longer routes—like those Lilium intends to fly.

The German manufacturer is behind the seven-seat Lilium Jet, an all-electric model that relies on small electric fans embedded in its wings for lift. The atypical design is expected to fly slightly farther (about 95 nm) but slower (134 knots) than Joby’s air taxi, connecting cities rather than flying within them.

The aircraft, which is being marketed for business aviation among other use cases, was first displayed at the European Aviation Business Convention and Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva this past May. It’s unclear whether it will be showcased in Las Vegas—Lilium told FLYING it is still finalizing its plans for NBAA-BACE.

Electra, though, told FLYING it will bring a model of its nine-passenger, ultra short aircraft to the show.

The hybrid-electric design employs a unique propulsion system called blown lift, which guides air flows over the aircraft’s wing and into large flaps and ailerons. These control surfaces direct the flows downward to amplify lift, allowing the vehicle to get airborne at what Electra describes as neighborhood driving speeds. As a result, it needs just 150 feet of runway to take off and land.

With a projected range of 500 nm and cruise speed of 175 knots, the model could be deployed for regional transport. In its announcement, though, the NBAA noted it could also serve direct aviation.

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The company on Monday said it completed the first pilot training program for its Alia CTOL (also called the CX300) with a customer, United Therapeutics (UT), and its subsidiary, Unither Bioelectronics. Beta took company leaders and flight operations executives through its full CX300 pilot training syllabus, which the company intends to use during future in-aircraft training once approved by the FAA.

The move represents a step toward finalizing a CX300 training product to accompany initial aircraft deliveries to customers. Beta expects to begin deliveries next year following type certification.

UT was Beta’s first customer, placing an order for the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) Alia model and electric charging stations. The firm is also an investor, having provided Beta with $52 million to get off the ground and a $48 million contract to build Alia, which it helped design. Martine Rothblatt, founder and CEO of UT and a member of the Beta board, was the first noncompany pilot to fly the aircraft.

When Beta unveiled the CX300 in 2023, UT was one of its first customers alongside Bristow Group and Air New Zealand. The company intends to use the two aircraft to quickly transport medical cargo, such as 3D-printed organs, at what Beta claims will be a fraction of the cost of conventional designs.

Both models are fully electric and designed to carry up to 1,000 pounds of cargo, or as many as five passengers, in a space of 200 cubic feet, cruising at 135 knots. The Alia has an expected range of 250 nm, while the more robust CX300 has demonstrated a range of 336 nm during test flights.

Beta has already begun installing a nationwide network of electric charging stations for its aircraft to tap into and is working with FBO networks such as Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation to electrify their terminals.

But one major step remaining for the company, and all electric aircraft manufacturers, is developing a pilot training curriculum.

Beta’s tailored CX300 syllabus, which the company said it has been refining for years, must still be approved by an FAA Flight Standards District Office. Walking a customer through the process, though, suggests that the firm is anticipating the green light sooner rather than later.

Over three days, Beta took a team comprising seasoned Unither helicopter and fixed-wing pilots through a three-step curriculum covering ground training requirements, familiarization with the aircraft and its systems, and operational employment for air ambulance missions.

The process began with overviews of the aircraft’s manuals, aerodynamics, concept of operations, limitations, and requirements, followed by reviews of its electric propulsion technology, fly-by-wire flight controls, and other atypical systems.

Capping off the campaign was a series of simulator rehearsals, during which Unither pilots completed practical exercises, performance planning, and preflight and ground operations. These culminated in two simulated missions—one IFR, one VFR—along routes the company intends to fly with the aircraft.

“The tailored syllabus from this event will be used with future in-aircraft training utilizing Beta’s dual-seat trainer configuration,” Beta said.

Beta so far has trained eight of its own pilots to fly the CX300, in addition to Rothblatt and pilots from the FAA, U.S. Air Force, Army, and customers UPS and Bristow. This year, it completed several “real-world” missions during two CX300 deployments for the Air Force under its contract with AFWERX, the department’s innovation arm.

More recently, Beta received a lift when the FAA authorized it to begin training pilots on its Alia eVTOL. The company tells FLYING it will eventually walk UT and Unither pilots through a separate curriculum for that model.

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The agreement, signed last August with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, will allow Air Force pilots to gauge the aircraft’s usefulness for defense operations and could be leveraged by other military branches.

“Together, our goal is to prove Midnight’s potential and ensure the United States continues to lead the way with the world’s most advanced technology,” said Adam Goldstein, founder and CEO of Archer.

Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, zero-emission model designed to carry up to four passengers on 20-to-50 sm (17-to-43 nm) trips, cruising at about 130 knots. The manufacturer is selling the aircraft to airlines and other operator customers who intend to use it for home-to-airport services, round-trip tourism routes, and other flights largely handled by helicopters.

The military, however, will get its hands on Midnight first. Defense leaders are drawn to the aircraft’s unique combination of vertical takeoff and landing capability and low noise profile.

“Archer’s Midnight aircraft has the potential to significantly enhance our operational capabilities,” said Colonel Elliott Leigh, director of AFWERX and chief commercialization officer for the Air Force.

The U.S. Department of Defense earlier this month accepted the aircraft’s military airworthiness assessment, “a critical approval that confirms Midnight’s readiness for flight testing by AFWERX,” Archer said.

According to the company, Air Force personnel were on-site for the inaugural Midnight delivery and have already performed simulations of medical evacuation, cargo, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights.

The military’s interest in eVTOL designs is not limited to Archer.

Competitor Joby Aviation, for example, has its own multimillion-dollar contract with AFWERX for the delivery of nine aircraft, one of which arrived at Edwards Air Force Base in California last year. Electric aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies is also working closely with the Air Force and has already conducted what it describes as “real-world” missions.

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The company on Tuesday said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Future Flight Global (FFG), a startup that plans to operate eVTOL and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, for the planned sale of as many as 116 air taxis.

The deal is worth up to $580 million, or about $5 million per aircraft.

“As our first private aviation partner, and with their deep ties in aviation and bold approach, FFG is positioned to be a new leader in modern aviation,” said Andrew Cummins, director of business development at Archer.

FFG was founded by former executives of business jet operator Titan Aviation, including former CEO Karam Singh, who now serves as chief executive for the AAM startup. According to Archer, FFG and Titan have a joint venture under which they will fly AAM aircraft worldwide, including in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.

Archer’s Midnight, a zero-emission, four-passenger design, could be one of the first aircraft in the companies’ fleet. The air taxi is designed to fly 10-to-20-minute trips covering 20 to 50 sm, charging for only a few minutes between flights.

Archer on Monday said the agreement with FFG brings its conditional order book total for Midnight to almost $6 billion, which includes a billion-dollar order from United Airlines for 100 aircraft.

FFG made an unspecified initial deposit as part of the MOU, which also sets terms for a predelivery payment of $5 million to be paid once agreement is complete. That will be contingent on the partners settling on a final purchase order and charting a strategic operating alliance.

What is known is that FFG will operate a handful of routes within Archer’s planned air taxi network, which will include electrified vertical takeoff and landing sites—or vertiports—at terminals operated by FBO networks Signature Aviation and Atlantic Aviation. It will also work with new infrastructure partners to set the stage for service in other Archer markets, which could include the United Arab Emirates and South Korea.

“To support these plans, Archer and FFG will work together on ecosystem development, infrastructure, regulatory engagement, and demand generation,” Archer said.

FFG will use Midnight to offer on-demand flights to an array of private customers, including corporations, hotels, governments, and high net worth individuals.

“Midnight’s versatility makes it well-suited to diverse routes and mission profiles, while also providing a world-class experience and operational efficiency that’s attractive to our corporate clients,” said Singh.

Archer intends to launch home-to-airport air taxi routes with United in 2025 and Southwest Airlines in 2026. But other services such as business transport and aerial tourism are also part of the company’s plans.

Last week, for example, the manufacturer announced it is working with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams to build exclusive vertiports near the Rams’ SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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Germany’s Volocopter last year hatched a plan with international airport operator Groupe ADP to ferry spectators around the 2024 Paris Olympic Games using its VoloCity air taxi, which would mark the aircraft’s commercial rollout. The firm even extended an invite to French President Emmanuel Macron, whose government approved the flights earlier this year, to be its first passenger.

But the company was unable to certify its two-seat design, built for a pilot plus one passenger, in time to fly people at the global event.

Another eVTOL manufacturer, China’s AutoFlight, also partnered with Groupe ADP last year to demonstrate its self-flying Prosperity air taxi at the Games but has yet to announce any test flights.

Still, it wasn’t a total wash for Volocopter. The firm managed to complete two test flights, one on Wednesday and another on Sunday.

The first took place at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École (LFPZ), one of five sites where the partners are constructing vertiports to support commercial operations. These vertical takeoff and landing hubs, similar to heliports, are built with electric charging stations to support eVTOL aircraft.

Big Plans for Paris

Groupe ADP is developing additional vertiports at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (LFPG), Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LFPB), and Paris Heliport, as well as a special floating landing pad on the River Seine that Volocopter can use until the end of the year. These five locations will be linked by five eVTOL air taxi routes: three public transit routes and two round-trip tourism routes.

According to Volocopter, the vertiport at Saint-Cyr-l’École is the first bespoke commercial location within its approved Paris route network. Wednesday’s crewed test flight was conducted under a permit to fly awarded by France’s Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), kicking off an operational validation test campaign.

The company will need to demonstrate flight maneuvers around the vertiport, ground handling, communication with air traffic control, battery charging, and more. The campaign is the culmination of years of testing at Pontoise airfield, the site of Paris’ first inaugurated vertiport.

“For now, test flights are carried out without passengers, but once the aircraft is certified, we will test emergency medical flights with AP-HP (Ile-de-France University Hospital Centre),” said Edward Arkwright, deputy CEO of Groupe ADP. “Innovation in the field of aeronautics needs time to remove obstacles regarding safety, but we remain convinced that new carbon-free air mobilities around eVTOLs will offer helpful services that go way beyond the transportation of passengers.”

Volocopter followed that test flight with a second at the World Heritage Palace of Versailles on Sunday, soaring over the palace’s lush gardens during a demonstration attended by Groupe ADP and DGAC officials.

The venue hosted several 2024 Olympic events and was the site of the first hot-air balloon flight by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783. Authorization for the flight was awarded on the final day of the Games by the Château de Versailles, City of Versailles, Yvelines Prefecture, and DGAC.

“The sustainable air mobility community is still at the start line, but today’s flight in this exceptional environment was the perfect closing ceremony to our summer, as we look forward to returning to Paris very soon,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter.

The company said it hopes to fly in central Paris later this year, with aspirations to launch passenger operations from its river barge vertiport on the Seine. A Groupe ADP official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the partners hope to fly passengers over the river by the time Notre Dame Cathedral, which burned down more than five years ago, is reopened in December.

Volocopter next year also expects to begin trials of an emergency medical service in Germany with partner ADAC Luftrettung, which last year agreed to purchase two custom-built VoloCity aircraft and could buy as many as 150.

Why Didn’t They Fly?

Beyond test flights, the firm’s primary goal is to obtain type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the elusive approval that would have allowed it to fly passengers at the Olympics. So far, only one eVTOL manufacturer—China’s EHang—has received type certification from its country’s aviation regulator, though many others have begun the process.

Arkwright told AFP that Volocopter’s VoloCity suffered “a delay of a few weeks” in certification due to issues affecting the aircraft’s motor. The air taxi features 18 motors and rotors powered by electricity from nine lithium-ion battery packs, giving it a range of about 19 nm at a cruise speed approaching 60 knots.

Hoke said the issue traces back to “an American supplier who was not capable of providing what he had promised.”

Passenger flights at the Olympics also faced political barriers from local French officials, many of whom characterized the project as environmentally harmful and air taxis as a service for the wealthy. In response, Volocopter and Groupe ADP have altered their tone by touting other use cases, such as emergency response.

Paris’ city hall even took legal action against the proposal, but according to AFP, French administrative officials ruled against it “pending a decision on the merits of the case, expected in the autumn.”

Though Volocopter failed to meet its goal, the company will have another chance to showcase its aircraft on the world stage at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. By then, the FAA expects to have laid the groundwork for commercial air taxi routes to be flown routinely.

Manufacturer Archer Aviation earlier this month expressed its desire to be flying in the city by the time the Games begin, while competitors Joby Aviation and Wisk Aero, the eVTOL subsidiary of Boeing, plan to operate there as well. Wisk further intends to demonstrate its self-flying design at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane.

The companies’ objective is to boost public acceptance of the novel aircraft, which they claim will be far quieter and more sustainable than helicopters. Some have already managed to convince major U.S. airlines, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines, to make investments or commitments to the technology.

Among American manufacturers, Archer and Joby are the closest to receiving type certification. Both companies hope to begin flying passengers next year.

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The company on Thursday announced it intends to launch a city center-to-airport network in Los Angeles by 2026, building on its plans to fly in New York City and Chicago. The service is meant to replace one-to-two-hour drives by car with more direct aerial routes while remaining cost competitive with ground-based rideshare options such as Uber and Lyft.

Archer in July also struck a deal with Southwest Airlines to connect Southwest terminals across California, where it is in the process of building a network of hubs linking South San Francisco, Napa, San Jose, Oakland, and Livermore.

The manufacturer’s flagship Midnight air taxi is designed for a pilot to fly as many as four passengers on back-to-back, 20-to-50 sm, 10-to-20-minute trips, with only a few minutes of charge time in between. The company hopes to obtain type certification from the FAA in time for a 2025 commercial rollout in New York and Chicago.

After that, it will set its sights on Los Angeles, where it intends to connect key locations such as Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX), Orange County, Santa Monica, Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach, Van Nuys, and the University of Southern California with vertiports. These takeoff and landing hubs are akin to heliports but will include electric aircraft chargers for Midnight and other electric aircraft to juice up.

Archer also has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with FBO network Signature Aviation to install electric chargers at more than 200 Signature terminals nationwide, adding to the number of potential takeoff and landing sites for Midnight.

Archer competitor Joby Aviation is also looking to fly in the Los Angeles area in partnership with Delta Air Lines and earlier this year began the process of installing eVTOL infrastructure in California. Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero, eVTOL jet manufacturer Lilium, and eVTOL developer Overair are among firms with similar ambitions.

The companies hope to showcase their aircraft on the world stage when the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles arrive— an ambitious target but one that is in line with the FAA’s own expectations for the industry. The city will also host men’s soccer games during the 2026 World Cup, which is being jointly held in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

“Establishing our LA network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next three years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer. “LA is known for its horrendous traffic—our goal is to offer a safer, faster, and more sustainable alternative travel option.”

A handful of eVTOL manufacturers, including Germany’s Volocopter and China’s AutoFlight, are supposed to demonstrate their air taxis at the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, but those flights have yet to take place and may not happen at all.

Aiding Archer, however, is a tight relationship with the FAA and the backing of California state officials such as Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Homegrown companies like Archer Aviation are pioneering the next generation of zero-emission transportation that will help California cut pollution, clean our air, and reduce traffic,” said Newsom.

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