2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Partners say they are working on projects in Oman and the UAE

Lyte, Bluenest, and LynePorts Form Team To Develop Middle East Vertiports

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Lyte Aviation also aims to recruit Cranfield University PhD students to support the program

Lange To Help Lyte with Hybrid-hydrogen Powertrain for VTOL Aircraft

Lyte Aviation has introduced a 19-seat version of its LA-44 hydrogen-electric VTOL aircraft aimed at business and private aviation users. On Thursday, South Korean charter flight start-up Ghenus Air became the prospective launch customer as part of a preorder agreement for 10 aircraft, including three of the new LA-44 X Prime model, four of the 40-seat LA-44 SkyBus, and three of the LA-44C SkyTruck.
According to Lyte Aviation, its LA-44 X Prime aircraft will have the same 620-mile range as the other variants. Founder and CEO Freshta Farzam told AIN that she is in talks with aircraft completion specialists and aims to unveil cabin interior designs in the next few weeks. She indicated that the customer base might include families in the Middle East requiring door-to-door transportation, or corporations seeking convenient shuttle flights for employees.
Seoul-based Ghenus Air hopes to take delivery from Lyte Aviation around five or six years from now. The operator, which has been in business for just over a year, wants to branch out into air taxi operations from its current VIP car service business model in locations including the Korean capital and Los Angeles. It also has a partnership agreement with Korean regional airline Jeju Air and relationships with logistics groups.
In April 2023, Ghenus Air <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-04-06/south-korean-evtol-developer-plana-expands-operations-us">signed a letter of intent</a> to buy 20 of the five-seat hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft being developed by South Korean start-up Plana. In October, the company signed a similar agreement with California-based Traverse Aero covering a potential purchase for up to 20 of its Orca hybrid-electric cargo drones, which are expected to have a payload of 550 pounds and a range of up to 600 miles.
According to Ghenus Air CEO Joseph Kim, his company intends to provide flights to smaller regional airports that do not currently have commercial air service. “In the U.S., 90 percent of people live within a 30-minute drive of a regional airport, compared with 60 percent for a commercial airport,” he stated. “This existing capacity of underutilized airports could support a growing regional air mobility market with less investment and ramp-up time than other new modes of transport such as urban air mobility.”
Lyte Aviation’s agreement with Ghenus Air brings its provisional order book for the LA-44 aircraft to 23 units. In November 2023, India’s VMan Aviation Services agreed to buy 10 LA-44 SkyBus aircraft, and in 2022 the manufacturer received a commitment for three more aircraft from an undisclosed customer. With a list price of €40 million ($44 million), these provisional sales agreements have a combined value of around €920 million.
The German company is completing design work for the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-11-01/indian-leasing-group-vman-plans-buy-lytes-skybus-vtol-aircraft">LA-44 family of aircraft</a> with the target of having a full-scale prototype ready for flight testing within 24 months. According to Farzam, her team is in discussions with prospective operators in 19 cities across four continents and is targeting preorders for a further 2,000 aircraft that could be signed after the prototype is built.
Initially, four turboprop engines fitted in pairs to each of the wings will power the tandem tilt wing aircraft. On each wingtip, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor will provide additional power. Lyte’s ultimate objective is to rework the aircraft with all-hydrogen propulsion but first, it wants to lay the groundwork for a VTOL model that it believes will transform regional aviation through its ability to bypass existing airports.
Hamburg-based Lyte Aviation is now looking to recruit engineers and other staff as it seeks to advance its development plans.
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Managing Editor

Lyte Aviation Expands LA-44 Hydrogen-Electric VTOL Aircraft Family to Offer Business Aviation Model

Indian aircraft leasing group Vman Aviation Services has agreed to add Lyte Aviation’s planned 40-seat <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-23/lyte-aviation-launches-high-capacity-hybrid-evtol-skybus">LA-44 SkyBus hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft</a> to its portfolio. A&nbsp;deal announced on November 1 covers preorders for 10 of the aircraft being developed by the European start-up with deposits to be paid at a later date as Lyte Aviation gets closer to anticipated type certification later this decade.
Vman was founded in 2021 and is based in Gandhinagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Its portfolio currently consists of an Airbus H125 helicopter, a pair of ATR 72-600 regional airliners, and 10 Piper training aircraft. It holds further orders for 10 of Hindustan Aeronautics’ Light Utility Helicopters for entry into service in 2025 or 2026 and another 30 unspecified training aircraft to arrive in 2025.
According to Vman CEO Vishok Mansingh, the company intends to place further large orders for helicopters and commuter aircraft in 2024. To meet short-term requirements, it is also purchasing some preowned aircraft.
Mansingh views the SkyBus as a way to unlock potential growth in India’s regional air transportation network. “We want to be one of the first ones that access this mass market in India,” he commented. “In Mumbai alone, there are 1.5 million passengers traveling by train. So we definitely see the value that Lyte’s 40-seater eVTOL will create for our markets that we have access to.”
<h3 class="subheading">India's Population Boom Prompts Transportation Rethink</h3>
India claims to have the world’s largest population, having overtaken China to reach more than 1.4 billion inhabitants, living in what is the world’s seventh-largest nation by land mass. The country has almost 50 cities with more than one million population and about 250 more with between 100,000 and one million. 
According to Mansingh, the Indian government supports efforts to launch new last-mile connectivity options. The Vman team estimates that this approach could support the business cases for more than 1,000 new air routes, taking advantage of the SkyBus’s projected range of 1,000 kilometers (625 miles).
Lyte Aviation says it aims to have a full-scale prototype ready to start test flights by the end of 2025. It is targeting type certification and the start of series production in 2028 or 2029.
Initially, four turboprop engines fitted in pairs to each of the wings will power the tandem tiltwing aircraft. On each wingtip, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor will provide additional power. Lyte’s ultimate objective is to rework the aircraft with all-hydrogen propulsion but first, it wants to lay the groundwork for a VTOL model that it believes will transform regional aviation through its ability to bypass existing airports.
“We see the value of eVTOLs in India, but so far the two- to four-seater eVTOLs were not really filling the market demand that we are focused on,” Mansingh commented. “When we were introduced to the 40-seater eVTOL by Lyte Aviation, we immediately connected the pain points of our region with the benefits that their SkyBus offers. We want to make sure that we are the front runners of mass transit disruption in India, as it is inevitably coming.”
For now, Vman has not indicated what type of operating companies it expects to become leasing customers for its SkyBus fleet. India’s aviation regulators do not yet have defined plans for certifying new electric and hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft and may take their lead from the EASA and FAA in this regard.
“If you consider the ever-growing congested roads [in India], due to the ever-growing population, ever-growing demand for passenger mobility, especially in megacities, it is a great place to offer point-to-point movement of passengers in masses,” said Lyte Aviation founder and CEO Freshta Farzam. “Our 40-seater eVTOL comes without reliance on runways—we will mostly require a landing pad of 40 square meters.”
Lyte Aviation has also been exploring early use cases for the SkyBus in Europe and North America. Last week, it announced a partnership with <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-10-27/lyte-aviation-starts-use-case-study-skybus-regional-air-services-europe">Twente Airport</a> in the east of the Netherlands.

Indian Leasing Group Vman Plans To Buy Lyte's SkyBus VTOL Aircraft

Lyte Aviation is exploring more use cases for its planned 40-seat SkyBus LA-44 VTOL aircraft with new proposals for scheduled flights to connect major cities like Paris with regionals like Twente in the east of the Netherlands. According to the European start-up, its hybrid-electric commuter airliner could bring convenient downtown-to-downtown air service to any number of cities within a radius of 1,000 kilometers (625 miles).
This week, the company launched a regional air service study with Twente Airport, which serves cities including Enschede, close to the border with Germany. The airport, which was&nbsp;formerly a military airbase, currently has no commercial airline service and is trying to reinvent its role to offer&nbsp;“a living lab of sustainable aviation and new forms of mobility.”
According to Lyte Aviation, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-23/lyte-aviation-launches-high-capacity-hybrid-evtol-skybus">the SkyBus</a> could give local people a two-hour travel time to the La Défense business district of the French capital, or to any number of cities that might include Munich and Hamburg in Germany or Liverpool and Birmingham in the UK. Currently, to get to Paris from Twente, travelers face a 600-kilometer drive, or awkward rail or air connections via Amsterdam, 175 kilometers away.
“It [the SkyBus] will provide a convenient, affordable, sustainable, and much faster transportation option for employees traveling regularly between sites, allowing Twente-based corporations to reach their respective headquarters, European counterparts, or co-workers in under two hours rather than up to eight hours total travel time today,” said Lyte Aviation founder and CEO Freshta Farzam. “This way, we are disrupting even business aviation, as we are the only ones able to carry up to 40 employees vertically in one SkyBus. And we don’t need runways, we just need a takeoff and landing pad of approximately 40 by 40 meters [131 feet].”
<h3 class="subheading">Companies Could Have Their Own Vertiports</h3>
Lyte Aviation has chosen the Twente region for its latest pilot project because it&nbsp;is home to major companies including Thales, Sensata Technologies, Malvern PanAlytical, and VDL. The plan calls for landing sites at Twente Airport itself, just two miles outside Enschede, and other vertiports at the offices of participating companies.
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 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Lyte Aviation's LA-44 SkyBus VTOL aircraft will carry 40 passengers up to 1,000 kilometers. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</div>
 
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<figcaption>Lyte Aviation's LA-44 SkyBus VTOL aircraft will carry 40 passengers up to 1,000 kilometers. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</figcaption>
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“The aviation industry is going through a number of revolutions that will fundamentally challenge how we will travel in the future,” said Twente Airport CEO Jan Schuring. “Our facilities are available as a testing ground for the innovations of the next generation of aircraft, systems, and procedures. Lyte Aviation is a perfect example of a company that is looking to disrupt the status quo; we’re keen to assist them with this endeavor.”
The approach builds on a concept Lyte Aviation announced earlier this year with the Advanced Air Mobility Institute to develop a business case for routes such as from <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-05-26/lyte-aviation-and-aam-institute-develop-business-case-seattle-area-vtol">Bainbridge Island to Seattle</a> and Redmond on the Washington state mainland. The partners contrasted the 30 km/h&nbsp;(19 mph) speed of the ferry with SkyBus’s anticipated 300 km/h&nbsp;speed to serve commuters to corporations such as Microsoft.
<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-23/lyte-aviation-launches-high-capacity-hybrid-evtol-skybus">Lyte Aviation</a> unveiled plans for the tandem tilt-wing design in March 2023 and is working toward type certification and service entry in 2030. The company is also working on a cargo version of the aircraft, called the SkyTruck LA-44C, with a payload of 4.5 tons (9,900 pounds).
Initially, four turboprop engines fitted in pairs to each of the wings will power the aircraft. On each wingtip, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor will provide additional power. Lyte’s ultimate objective is to rework the aircraft with all-hydrogen propulsion but first, it wants to lay the groundwork for a VTOL model that it believes will transform regional aviation through its ability to bypass existing airports.
According to Farzam, a high-capacity VTOL aircraft with 10 times the passenger capacity of most in-development eVTOL vehicles intended for urban air mobility will deliver greater commercial potential for operators. She said the SkyBus will be far more fuel efficient and quieter than current helicopters, and with much lower operating and maintenance costs.

Lyte Aviation Starts Use Case Study for SkyBus Regional Air Services in Europe

<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-23/lyte-aviation-launches-high-capacity-hybrid-evtol-skybus">Lyte Aviation</a> is exploring the basis for hybrid-electric VTOL flights to replace ferries to connect island communities in the Seattle area with its planned 40-seat SkyBus LA-44 aircraft. The European start-up unveiled plans for the tandem tilt-wing design in March and is working toward&nbsp;projected type certification and service entry in 2030.
This week, Lyte&nbsp;announced a joint development project with the Advanced Air Mobility Institute to develop a business case for routes such as from Bainbridge Island to Seattle and Redmond on the Washington state mainland. The partners contrasted the 30 km/hour (19 mph) speed of the ferry with SkyBus’s anticipated 300 km/hour speed.
Initially, four turboprop engines fitted in pairs to each of the wings will power the aircraft. On each wingtip, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor will provide additional power.
Lyte’s ultimate objective is to rework the aircraft with all-hydrogen propulsion but first, it wants to lay the groundwork for a VTOL aircraft that it believes will transform regional aviation through its ability to bypass existing airports. 
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<div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-caption">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Lyte Aviation says its hybrid-electric SkyBus LA-44 would seat 40 passengers for flights up to 1,000 km. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</div>
 
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<figcaption>Lyte Aviation says its hybrid-electric SkyBus LA-44 would seat 40 passengers for flights up to 1,000 kilometers. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</figcaption>
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According to Lyte Aviation founder and CEO Freshta Farzam, a high-capacity VTOL aircraft with 10 times the passenger capacity of most in-development eVTOL vehicles intended for urban air mobility will deliver greater commercial potential for operators. The company is also working on a cargo version of the aircraft, called the SkyTruck LA-44C, with a payload of 4.5 tons (9,900 pounds).
<h3 class="subheading">An End to Hard Commutes at&nbsp;Software Giant Microsoft</h3>
In addition to downtown Seattle, the partners are including the suburb of Redmond in their study because it is home to IT giant Microsoft. “There are almost 53,000 employees traveling each day over waterways and congested roadways,” Farzam said. “It makes this air transportation alternative a fascinating use case for us. Soon, after a long day of work, the daily commute of around 40 kilometers [25 miles] will take only 10 minutes instead of 90 minutes. The SkyBus can take off from a landing pad at the Microsoft campus and land at a vertiport on the island. The future is faster and more feasible than we realize.”
The AAM Institute’s core mission is to make new transportation technology widely available&nbsp;“in an ethical and responsible way for the protection of the people who rely on it.” Founder and president Dan Sloat believes this will require a bold approach&nbsp;and says his organization&nbsp;“welcomes the chance to work with dreamers and disruptors like Freshta Farzam.”
The SkyBus could have a range as long as 1,000 kilometers. For the first iteration of the aircraft, Lyte Aviation will likely use existing turboprop engines with a power rating of between 3,500 and 5,000 hp. It says these will be able to run on both jet-A and sustainable aviation fuel.
Having begun working on the program three years ago with initial seed financing from private investors, Lyte Aviation is now preparing to launch a Series A funding round. The first objective will be to build a full-scale prototype by 2024.

Lyte Aviation and AAM Institute Develop Business Case for Seattle-area VTOL Shuttle Flights

Lyte Aviation this week unveiled plans for a pair of high-capacity, long-range VTOL aircraft aimed at both cargo- and passenger-carrying applications. The European start-up seeks to produce a full-scale prototype of the LA-44 SkyBus, intended to carry up to 40 passengers, within the next 24 months.
Unveiling plans at the Helicopter Investor conference in London on March 23, Lyte Aviation founder and CEO Freshta Farzam said that the SkyBus will have a range of 1,000 kilometers&nbsp;(625 miles) and a maximum speed of 300 km/h (187 mph). She said it could take until 2030 to bring the tandem tilt-wing design to market.
The SkyBus propulsion system will consist of four turboprop engines, fitted in pairs to each of the wings. On each wingtip, a hydrogen fuel cell electric motor will provide additional power. The company may add some battery packs for additional power redundancy.
<h3 class="subheading">Hybrid Power First, Hydrogen To Follow</h3>
Lyte’s ultimate objective is to rework the aircraft with all-hydrogen propulsion but first, it wants to lay the groundwork for a VTOL aircraft that it believes will transform regional aviation through its ability to bypass existing airports. 
The company will likely use existing turboprop engines with a power rating of between 3,500 and 5,000 shp. It says these will be able to run on both jet-A and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
“Conventional, highly reliable turboprops are the best option for our aircraft program for the time being, with the aim to operate and refuel practically anywhere with the current infrastructure,” Farzam said. “With the constant evolution and expected investment in global infrastructure&nbsp;including vertiports and&nbsp;energy sources&nbsp;including SAF and green hydrogen and electric powerplants,&nbsp;the ambition would be to become fully hydrogen-electric in the future.”
Provided access to landing sites in urban and suburban areas can be secured, Lyte believes that the piloted SkyBus will emerge as a viable public transportation alternative to buses and trains. In the near&nbsp;term, noise from the aircraft’s conventional turboprop engines could be an obstacle to public acceptance&nbsp;but Farzam told FutureFlight her team is working on this challenge.
Partly for this reason, she envisages the SkyTruck freighter variant entering service first, operating away from populated areas. It will feature underslung load capability for roles such as firefighting and humanitarian missions, with a 4.5-tonne (9,900-pound) payload and 17 tonnes gross weight.
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 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Lyte Aviation's SkyTruck hybrid eVTOL aircraft could carry freight to remote areas without airports. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</div>
 
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<figcaption>Lyte Aviation's SkyTruck hybrid eVTOL aircraft could carry freight to remote areas without airports. (Image: Lyte Aviation)</figcaption>
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Farzam said that she expects regional airlines looking to launch new point-to-point services as being among early customers for the SkyBus, along with operators carrying workers to offshore oil and gas platforms under charter contracts. In her view, energy companies needing access to remote onshore locations might find the SkyTruck a more viable option than building new road and rail links.
Lyte has held talks with prospective infrastructure partners and operators in the Middle East. It is also targeting countries such as Norway and Canada as early-adopter markets.
Having begun working on the program three years ago with initial seed financing from private investors, Lyte is now preparing to launch a Series A funding round. The first objective will be to build a full-scale prototype by 2024.
The Lyte team currently consists of just three founders working from offices in Germany and the UK, with support from independent contractors. Farzan has a background in finance for green technology companies.&nbsp;She said that the other unnamed founders have extensive experience in aeronautical engineering.
As followers of the V-22 Osprey and the AW609 aircraft can attest, tilt-wing and tiltrotor programs can be complex and expensive in terms of&nbsp;development and certification challenges. While not refuting this, Farzam told FutureFlight that she is “grateful to first movers” in this field, including rotorcraft giants Boeing, Bell, and Leonardo, while remaining confident that Lyte will be able to meet any regulatory requirements.
Among Lyte’s earlier industrial partners are Inmarsat and Inflight Canada, with the former providing satellite communications support for operations in remote areas and the latter focusing on early cargo delivery use cases. Farzam said that the start-up intends to seek existing aerospace companies as partners to provide specific aircraft technologies and systems for its new VTOL models.

Lyte Aviation

News

Lyte, Bluenest, and LynePorts Form Team To Develop Middle East Vertiports

Lange To Help Lyte with Hybrid-hydrogen Powertrain for VTOL Aircraft

Lyte Aviation Expands LA-44 Hydrogen-Electric VTOL Aircraft Family to Offer Business Aviation Model

Indian Leasing Group Vman Plans To Buy Lyte's SkyBus VTOL Aircraft

Lyte Aviation Starts Use Case Study for SkyBus Regional Air Services in Europe

Lyte Aviation and AAM Institute Develop Business Case for Seattle-area VTOL Shuttle Flights

Lyte Aviation Launches High-capacity Hybrid eVTOL SkyBus

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