aviation

Portside lands $50M to help manage business aviation

Business aviation operators are often challenged with crew and aircraft shortages as they look to scale and meet the growing post-pandemic demand for air travel. With industry-wide staffing shortages,

Delta launches free Wi-Fi

At CES, Delta Air Lines today announced that it will launch free Wi-Fi for all members of its SkyMiles frequent flier program starting February 1. This free service, which the company is launching in

Aero raises $65M for its semi-private airline

Aero Technologies, which describes itself as a “next-generation air travel company” which currently operates on a limited number of routes in the U.S. and Europe, today announced that it h

AeroVanti Air Club wants to disrupt private aviation with its sleek turboprops

Chartering a private plane is never going to be cheap, no matter how many startups have promised to make it more affordable over the years. But that doesn’t mean it can’t become cheaper. A

Alaska Airlines’ new electronic bag tag will let you speed through the airport lobby

Given the current state of the worldwide aviation industry, checking a bag may not be the best idea right now. But sometimes you don’t have a choice and soon, at least if you’re flying Ala

Autonomous flight startup Merlin Labs nabs $105M and US Air Force partnership

Autonomous flight is a grand challenge in aviation — and a gold mine. The first company to crack it at scale stands to reap handsome profits from transportation and logistics alone. In 2020, the siz

Delta and Misapplied Sciences launch a personalized flight information board in Detroit

Flight information boards, especially the old electromechanical ones with their clacking letters, are often an iconic part of an airport. But just like flying today is quite different from 30 years ag

Hydrogen startup ZeroAvia has a zero-emission vision, but its next plane is a hybrid

ZeroAvia has raised $115 million from United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways and Amazon on a promise to fly a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell regional passenger plane as soon as next year.

Can Mirai Flights make it easier to book a private jet? Its new investors think so

If there’s one thing we found out during the pandemic, it is that private jets were one way for the rich and famous to avoid traveling with the potentially infectious plebeian classes. This is perha

TechCrunch+ roundup: eVTOL takes off, pivoting with agility, when to hire a lawyer

“Where’s my flying car?” is a staple of Gen X humor, since it reaffirms the cynical viewpoint that technology frequently fails to deliver on its lofty promises. Until recently, elect

4 eVTOL trends moving the air taxi industry closer to takeoff

The billions raised by eVTOL companies last year mean one thing for 2022 — massive growth. These trends will influence how entrepreneurs and investors participate in the burgeoning eVTOL ecosystem.

Volocopter raises $170M, now valued at $1.87B, to fuel first commercial launches of flying taxi fleet in 2024

Volocopter, the startup out of southern Germany (Bruchsal) that has been developing electric VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft and a business model for operating them in taxi-style fleets i

Alaska Airlines launches new venture arm, with first investment in UP.Partners’ $230M fund

Alaska Airlines has become the latest major airline to enter corporate investing with the launch of a new venture capital arm, dubbed Alaska Star Ventures, as the aviation industry looks to emerging t

Wright tests its 2-megawatt electric engines for passenger planes

Just like the automotive industry, aerospace has its sights set on going electric — but flying with battery-powered engines is a tougher proposition than rolling. Wright is among the startups lookin

YC grad Buoyant wants to solve middle-mile delivery with cargo airships

Buoyant says its hybrid design solves the notoriously difficult problem of dropping off cargo – difficult because as airships offload weight, they risk shooting back up into the air.

Judge denies Wisk Aero’s request for preliminary injunction against Archer Aviation

Electric aviation startup Wisk Aero’s request for a preliminary injunction against rival Archer Aviation was denied by a federal judge Thursday, the latest in an ongoing legal battle over whether Ar

The air taxi market prepares to take flight

Electric air mobility is gaining elevation. But there's going to be some turbulence ahead.

United Airlines agrees to purchase 15 Boom supersonic airliners

United Airlines is the first official U.S. customer for Boom Supersonic, a company focused on making supersonic commercial flight a reality once again. Boom unveiled its supersonic sub-scale testing a

Portside raises $17M for its business aviation management platform

Portside, an aviation startup that is building a platform for managing the backend of a corporate flight department, charter operation, government fleet and fractional ownership operation, today annou

Wisk Aero files injunction in trade secret lawsuit against Archer Aviation

Electric aviation company Wisk Aero filed a motion for a preliminary injunction Wednesday in its ongoing lawsuit with rival electric air travel startup Archer Aviation. The injunction could put a seri
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