Urban Air Mobility
Urban Air Mobility
Vertiports, city operations, and air traffic management for AAM.
About Urban Air Mobility
Urban air mobility was sold as thousands of aircraft running city-scale networks on ride-hailing economics. As of mid-October, neither Joby Aviation nor Archer Aviation had carried a paying passenger.
The ground is being built before the aircraft are certified. The UAE's civil aviation authority certified a vertiport beside Dubai International Airport on 7 July, and Joby holds a six-year exclusive with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority. In Virginia, Textron flew an Aerosonde drone nearly 150 nautical miles between two vertiports, under a state programme writing instrument procedures for them.
Towns control the pad, not the sky. Northglenn, Colorado drafted rules for drone delivery hubs after its planning director told the council the city has "no legal authority to regulate where drones fly".
The air taxi makers are also fighting in court. Vertical Aerospace countersued Archer Aviation on 6 October, claiming Archer's Midnight infringes a Vertical patent, in the Texas federal court where Archer sued it in February.
Coverage
Wing heads to Denver as suburbs write drone hub rules
Walmart had sought hub sites in Longmont, which does not allow them. Northglenn votes this month on keeping launch pads 200 feet from homes.
Vertical countersues Archer as court trims Joby lawsuit
Archer now fights its rivals in three forums. Vertical, which wants Midnight blocked, is also under an NYSE warning for trading below $1.
Vertical Aerospace Reviews Options as It Opens Valo Plant
Its cash lasts into August 2027. The first aircraft for certification is due in its new hall at the end of that year.
Textron Flies Military Drone Between Virginia Vertiports
The first-ever claim is Textron's own, and the state network the drone was testing is being built for passenger and cargo aircraft.
Volocopter's first product is now a two-seat ultralight
The company that was going to fly the Paris Olympics is certifying an aircraft for flying clubs. Supernal cut 80% of staff. Vertical trades at $0.60.
Dubai Certifies the First Purpose-Built Commercial Vertiport
The UAE's GCAA has certified VDX, the Skyports vertiport next to Dubai International, the first purpose-built commercial vertiport to be certified.
Archer Buys Boeing's Wisk, Insitu and SkyGrid in eVTOL Deal
Archer is acquiring Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid, absorbing a rival air taxi programme and a profitable military drone unit in one deal.
Wisk's Second Gen 6 eVTOL Prototype Completes First Flight
Wisk Aero's second Gen 6 autonomous eVTOL prototype has flown for the first time, joining the original in a California flight test campaign.
EHang EH216-S Makes First Crewed eVTOL Flights in Mexico
EHang's EH216-S pilotless eVTOL completed its first people-carrying flights in Mexico and Latin America at the FAMEX Tulum Air Show 2026.
Joby Aviation Flies eVTOL Over New York City
Joby Aviation flew its S4 eVTOL between JFK and Manhattan heliports in New York City's first electric air taxi flights.
Speedbird and Moya Aero Partner on eVTOL Logistics
Speedbird Aero and Moya Aero have signed an MoU to explore combining Moya's tilt-body eVTOL with Speedbird's BVLOS drone logistics operations.
Archer and Joby Still Have No FAA Type Certificate
Both named 2026 for their first Gulf passengers. With ten weeks left neither has launched, and FAA pilots have yet to fly Joby's aircraft for credit.
BETA and Joby Fly the First FAA eVTOL Pilot Program Missions
Eight projects in 26 states were picked in March. BETA's first flights used a fixed-wing plane; Joby flew air taxi routes around Dallas in September.
Eve Air Mobility Targets Helicopter Operators in 2026
Eve Air Mobility arrives at VERTICON 2026 with 2,700 eVTOL orders and near-daily test flights targeting helicopter fleets.
Japan's AAM Roadmap Is Built to Actually Work
Japan's advanced air mobility plan phases infrastructure, regulation, and public trust alongside aircraft development to 2030.
Companies
Joby Aviation
US eVTOL company developing a five-seat electric air taxi, the furthest along in FAA type certification among civilian eVTOL manufacturers.
United States
Archer Aviation
US eVTOL company developing the Midnight air taxi, now acquiring Boeing's Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid to add autonomy and defense manufacturing.
United States
Vertical Aerospace
UK eVTOL developer building the Valo, a four-passenger electric air taxi targeting UK type certification in 2029, now reviewing strategic alternatives.
United Kingdom
Wisk Aero
US developer of an autonomous four-seat air taxi, wholly owned by Boeing and being sold to Archer Aviation in a deal expected to close by end-2026.
United States
Boeing
Boeing is a US aerospace manufacturer with commercial-airplane, defense and space, and fleet-services businesses.
United States
EHang
Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle company with a type-certified EH216-S passenger eVTOL and related aerial-mobility products.
China
BETA Technologies
Vermont-based electric aircraft maker, listed on the NYSE, building the ALIA CX300 and A250 and the charging network they run on.
United States
Elroy Air
US developer of the Chaparral autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft, contracted by the US Army and heading for a Nasdaq listing via SPAC merger.
United States
Contracts
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed IDIQ for system improvements, configuration development, integration, production…
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Not-to-exceed undefinitized modification for three MQ-25A Stingray low-rate initial production Lot 1…
U.S. Navy
Boeing
Engineering and integration of an updated radio-frequency blanker and encrypted mass storage for the…
U.S. Navy
Textron Systems
Order for operational support, shock testing and training for sea-based drone maritime surveillance…
U.S. Navy
Textron Systems
Order for support of sea-based drone maritime surveillance services on board two ships…