Aviation’s rich history is written in large part by a small number of big players, but Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) has opened the door to dozens of highly-motivated startups looking to write the next chapter of aviation history with world-class talent, capital and fresh thinking. Of course, the established aerospace OEMs also have seats at the table and a trend has emerged:

Established OEMs play the long game, while newer OEMs chase early market share.

CityAirbus NextGen

We consider the approaches of three household names: Airbus, Boeing and Embraer:

Airbus has a fairly unique approach, designing and building their CityAirbus NextGen using the Airbus name and brand. The four-seat piloted eVTOL has its prototype maiden flight planned for late 2024.

Boeing has taken a different approach, investing $450m in now wholly-owned subsidiary Wisk. The four-seater eVTOL will be pilot-less from its debut, an ambitious aspect with unique regulatory challenges, pushing entry-into service closer to 2030.

Embraer’s approach is somewhere in the middle. Having home-grown Eve Air Mobility out of their innovation accelerator, their four-seater piloted eVTOL has a more aggressive entry-into-service target of 2026. They don’t want to be first, but they do want to be early.

As entry-into-service targets draw near, early operators will set the stage for reliable and safe operations, possibly overcoming challenges that can benefit later entrants. Realising this benefit requires deep financial security, provided in these cases by their parent companies, a blessing not necessarily afforded to their younger competitors.

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