Elysian Aircraft has made changes to the design of its all-electric E9X regional airliner concept after completing the conceptual design review. The Dutch start-up provided an update on the program last week after the first test flight with a scaled demonstrator version of the aircraft, which is expected to seat between 88 and 100 passengers and have a range of around 405 nm.

Reliable Robotics has completed a series of FAA-contracted flights designed to test whether large uncrewed aircraft systems can safely share airspace with crewed aircraft near airports. The company staged deliberate encounters between its autonomous Cessna Caravan and other aircraft in and around the traffic pattern at Hollister Municipal Airport in California. 

Luxaviation has committed to being the launch operator for Beyond Aero’s hydrogen-electric private aircraft. In an agreement announced with the French start-up on April 14, the Europe-based business aviation services group said it will help to prepare a path to service entry for the eight-seat BYA-1 model, which is targeted for type certification in 2030.

Vaeridion is chasing further funding to build the first prototype of its Microliner regional aircraft, an all-electric concept it hopes will achieve first flight some time in 2027. This move towards industrialization follows last month’s opening of a new battery center at Germany’s Oberpfaffenhofen Airport, which the startup says “really symbolizes a new phase” of development.

Ascendance has secured €12.2 million ($14.25 million) to develop its proprietary hybrid-electric propulsion system, applicable to drones and its in-development Atea VTOL aircraft. This four-year funding commitment—made available through the France 2030 investment program and announced on April 9—will enable Ascendance to scale its industrial efforts, explained the company.

Joby Aviation has tapped Air Space Intelligence and its Flyways AI platform to tackle the airspace coordination challenges of commercial eVTOL operations, with live demonstrations in the U.S. National Airspace System planned before year-end. Announced on April 7, the collaboration brings together two complementary software systems: Joby’s ElevateOS platform for on-demand air taxi services and ASI’s Flyways AI, an artificial intelligence platform that uses advanced 4D modeling to optimize operations.

French aircraft developer Aura Aero has completed its latest funding round, with an additional €50 million ($59 million) taking its total money raised to €340 million. The Toulouse-based start-up said the Series B capital injection will support progress with three separate objectives: the first flight of its hybrid-electric regional ERA aircraft in late 2027, ramping up production of its already-certified Integral two-seat trainer, and the development of its Enbata drone.