Vertical gets lifeline, Icelandair gets first Airbus & more (The Allplane Newsletter #174)

Sustainable Aviation News

Electric aviation

Heart Aerospace has confirmed Plattsburgh, NY, as the location of the first test flight of its experimental aircraft. The flight is expected to take place in 2025.

And the also-Swedish battery maker Northvolt, one of the European beacons of electric propulsion technology, filed for bankruptcy protection in the US. It has also, reportedly, missed some of its payment obligations. This is the latest of a number of recent high profile bankruptcies in the European electric mobility sector.

First flight of AURA AERO’s INTEGRAL E light aircraft! Last year I went to the factory to see how these beautiful aircraft are made.

French hybrid-electric aircraft startup VoltAero will expand in North America by the hand of local partner AltiSky. It will be building a 30,000 sq ft. assembly line and delivery center in the US.

Advanced Air Mobility

Vertical Aerospace has finally closed the deal with investment firm Mudrick Capital Management, which allows it to extend its financial runway a little bit. The deal includes a $50M cash injection and the conversion of $130M of debt into equity.

Lilium has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, but the German company has issued a noted reminding everyone that its development program is still ongoing and that it is now gearing up for its first piloted flight.

Wisk has cleared one of the key early steps in the path to certification.

Joby received also two additional FAA approvals, regarding pilot training and safety procedures, to continue with its development program.

Spanish eVTOL developer Crisalion has signed a deal with Florida-based UrbanLink Air Mobility for 20 aircraft.

News from the exciting Chinese advanced air mobility market (or “low altitude economy” as it’s called over there): Volant has presented its VE25-100 eVTOL.

I spoke with the CEO of Ferrovial Airports, who confirmed his plans to focus on the US airport market and pause vertiport investment.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Investment giant BlackRock will buy SAF certificates through the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA).

Formula 1 has become the first participant in Qatar Airways’ new SAF programme.

IFC, which is part of the World Bank Group, will finance, with $35M, a new SAF plant in Pakistan, the first in the country, operated by local company SAFCO Ventures. It will ahve a capacity of 200,000 tons per year be located in Punjab use waste oils as feedstock.

IAG announced a major e-SAF deal with Infinium during the Aviation Carbon Conference, in London.

Other interesting aviation stories

An in-depth interview with Air Astana’s CEO, Peter Foster, on AeroTime’s Executive Spotlight.

Icelandair received its first A321LR (and first Airbus aircraft overall!). This is the first of four of the type on order (+ another 13 A321XLRs). To see how the current Icelandair experience looks and feels like, check out my Saga Premium Business Class review (alas, on Boeing aircraft!).

Mallard Enterprises has sold 20 of its ME-1A amphibious aircraft in India. Maine-based Mallard has found fertile ground in India, a market from where it already signed a letter of intent (LoI) last summer for 50 aircraft.

British Airways unveiled its new First Class product.

LEVEL, the Barcelona-based long-haul low-cost airline of the IAG group has now its own AOC, so it is officially an airline on its own right, including its own code, “LL” (it was using Iberia’s AOC until now).

TAP Air Portugal launched three rather interesting long haul routes targeting the US market: Lisbon to Los Angeles, Porto to Boston and Terceira, in the Azores Islands, to San Francisco. To see what the long-haul experience on TAP Air Portugal looks like, check out my review of TAP’s business class on a flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Lisbon.

Just ahead of MEBAA 2024 in Dubai, Gulfstream has tested its G800, its longest range aircraft to date, with a fully outfitted cabin.

For the first time since the Concorde, a civilian plane has successfully completed a supersonic test flight…in New Zealand!

Luxury airline Beond shared some details of its current performance and future plans.

NewsletterMiquelDecember 7, 2024Comment