Air taxi maker Vertical Aerospace said Friday that American Airlines Group Inc has agreed to make pre-delivery payments for 50 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, lifting its shares as much as 71%. Last year, American Airlines had agreed to pre-order up to 250 of UK-based Vertical's eVTOL aircraft in a $1b deal, with an option to buy a 100 more. Vertical's VA-X4 aircraft can carry four passengers and a pilot. It can fly at speeds of more than 200 mph over a range of above 100 miles. The deal reflects growing interest in battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically, offering a new way for travelers to beat traffic and hop between cities. Vertical Aerospace had last year reported pre-orders for up to 1,350 aircraft worth $5b from customers including American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.<br/>
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Qantas Airways has rearranged its flight schedule from London's Heathrow Airport amid the hub's move to cap passenger capacity and limit disruption, a spokesperson for the Australian carrier said on Monday. The airline delayed the departure of its London-Perth flight by three hours on Sunday and has brought forward the departure of its London-Singapore flight on Tuesday by nine hours, with other changes possible as Britain's busiest airport looks to limit queues, baggage delays and cancellations through September. "We have two flights a day to London and we want to preserve them at all costs given people's travel plans are at stake," the Qantas spokesperson said. Bringing forward the London-Singapore departure on Tuesday will result in an 11-hour layover in Singapore before the plane continues on to Sydney, during which time Qantas will provide accommodation for passengers. "We've managed to negotiate a workaround that isn't perfect but will get our customers to their destination," the spokesperson said. "We continue to work with Heathrow on improving this situation." Aviation data firm OAG last week estimated the passenger caps at Heathrow would lead to $550m in lost airline revenue. Emirates said on Thursday it had rejected demands by Heathrow to cut capacity, despite being threatened with legal action, and intended to continue operating its six daily flights to the airport. A day later, the Dubai-based airline reached an agreement with the airport to cap further sales on flights out of Heathrow through mid-August, according to a joint statement from Emirates and Heathrow.<br/>