Urban Air Mobility Developments To Watch

Lilium will fly a second prototype of its ducted-fan eVTOL. The full-scale five-seater will incorporate improvements made after the first prototype, which flew in May 2020, was destroyed in a ground fire. Lilium says it is still on track to launch its regional air mobility service in 2025.

Wisk plans to launch a trial passenger service with its two-seat self-flying Cora in New Zealand. Following approval by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, the Kitty Hawk/Boeing joint venture is to operate the lift-plus-cruise eVTOL on curated tourism flights over the rural South Island.

Joby Aviation will be the first vehicle developer to participate in NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, flying its tilt-prop eVTOL in the Developmental Test event at the Armstrong Flight Research Center in early 2021. Joby is aiming for certification by the end of 2023.

China’s EHang will conduct its first UAM trial operations in Europe, in Linz, Austria. The initial phase will involve its EH216 two-passenger autonomous air vehicle flying between vertiports on either shore of the Danube River. EH216 trials began in South Korea at the end of 2020.

In cooperation with the Paris regional government, eVTOL developer Volocopter will begin flights at a UAM test area established at the nearby Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield in preparation for an air taxi demonstration service during the 2024 Paris Olympics.