Following a longer-than-usual four-year break owing to COVID-19, aerospace companies big and small were in a rush to do business at Farnborough. While the 2022 Hampshire gathering lacked the blockbuster orders of previous shows, billions of dollars in deals were done and fledgling firms were given a platform to debut their products across a range of fields, from airport operations to space. Between the vast halls and plush chalets that made up 100,000m2 of exhibition space, it was hard not to be impressed by the displays of new electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aerial vehicles that developers hope will reshape how people travel around and between urban areas in the coming decade. From Boeing-backed venture Wisk, whose pilotless 'Cora' air taxi made its European debut, to Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace, whose impressive eVTOL prototype occupied one corner of the exhibition space, progress made by the advanced air mobility sector since 2018 was clear to see.
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