Aviation

Flying-Car Startup Kittyhawk to Shut Down

The flying-car firm Kittyhawk, which is backed by Larry Page, a co-founder of Google, said on Wednesday that it will be shutting down.

The firm was established in 2010 to produce eVTOLs, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and was given its name after the North Carolina town where the Wright brothers’ ground-breaking aircraft first took flight. Sebastian Thrun, a former Google vice president and co-founder of the startup, oversaw the creation of Google Glasses and the self-driving car.

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The Kittyhawk Flyer, an electric-only ultralight aircraft, was presented by the business in 2018 and was capable of carrying a single passenger up to 10 feet in the air at 20 mph. A two-person electric air taxi dubbed Cora was also being developed by Kittyhawk.

Cora is the centerpiece of Wisk Aero, a partnership that Kittyhawk and Boeing established in 2019. The strategic alliance was designed to provide both businesses a significant advantage over competing for flying vehicle and air taxi initiatives like Bell Nexus and UberAir.

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Boeing’s dedication to Wisk is unaffected by Kitty Hawk’s decision to halt operations. We are happy to be a founding member of Wisk Aero and pleased with the work they are doing to advance innovation and sustainability in the field of future electric aviation, according to a statement from a Boeing representative. We don’t anticipate that Kitty Hawk’s announcement will have any impact on Wisk’s operations or other endeavors.

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Aviation

Boeing Resumes 737 MAX Manufacturing After Seven-Week Strike

In a crucial move for its recovery, Boeing has restarted production of its best-selling 737 MAX jetliner, about a month after a significant seven-week strike involving 33,000 factory workers came to an end.

This marks a key milestone for the planemaker, which has been facing considerable challenges in recent years, including heavy debt and a series of setbacks.

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According to the report from Reuters, Boeing resumed the production of the 737 MAX jetliner last week, a pivotal step as the company aims to meet the growing global demand for air travel. With over 4,200 orders from airlines, Boeing’s ability to get the 737 MAX production line back in motion is vital for its financial recovery.

Although Boeing had previously planned to restart production earlier, the company faced numerous obstacles that delayed this process. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) head Mike Whitaker told Reuters on Thursday that while Boeing had not yet resumed production, they had plans to restart by the end of the month.

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The road to this point has been rocky for Boeing. Setbacks such as the tragic fatal crashes of the 737 MAX, the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing supply chain issues, production safety concerns, and increased regulatory scrutiny have all contributed to delays in the company’s efforts to ramp up production.

The seven-week strike, which involved thousands of Boeing’s factory workers, added yet another hurdle. Despite these challenges, production of the 737 MAX officially resumed on Friday, according to one of the anonymous sources.

Boeing, however, declined to comment on the matter. The planemaker is now focused on reaching its goal of producing 56 737 MAX airplanes per month, a target that has been delayed due to the many issues that have beset the company over the past few years.