Eve Air Mobility (NYSE: EVEX) and Thai aerospace firm RV Connex Co., Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 17, 2026, to collaboratively develop a regulatory framework for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations in Thailand. The partnership focuses on evaluating operational scenarios, safety requirements, and infrastructure needs to prepare the country for commercial electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) flights.

Announced in a company press release, the agreement aims to accelerate Thailand’s readiness for urban air mobility by aligning local airspace rules with global standards. The collaboration will engage Thai aviation authorities to establish the necessary operational foundations for the Eve 100 eVTOL aircraft and the broader AAM ecosystem.

Regulatory Development and Local Integration

The partnership leverages RV Connex’s local aerospace expertise to navigate Thailand’s specific aviation system requirements. The companies plan to assess future airspace rules and infrastructure demands required to safely integrate eVTOL aircraft into existing traffic patterns.

RV Connex President Sujate Jantarang stated the MOU will create a strong framework to help Thai authorities develop modern, globally aligned Regulations for the new technology. Jantarang noted the company intends to help make Thailand a leader in global advanced air mobility.

“Thailand offers a fantastic opportunity for urban air mobility. Working with RV Connex lets us help shape the regulations this industry needs to grow,” said Johann Bordais, Chief Executive Officer at Eve Air Mobility.

Bordais added that the Partnerships demonstrates the Manufacturers commitment to building regulatory and operational foundations alongside local partners.

Eve Air Mobility Program Milestones

The regulatory push in Southeast Asia follows several technical and financial developments for the manufacturer. On August 3, 2026, Eve announced its engineering prototype completed its first partial transition flight, successfully activating the pusher propulsion system in flight.

On January 20, 2026, the company secured $150 million in debt financing from a bank syndicate to accelerate eVTOL development. The Thailand agreement also follows a July 22, 2026, partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation to advance AAM operations in the United States.

AirPro News analysis

We view Eve Air Mobility’s strategy of engaging local aerospace contractors like RV Connex as a pragmatic approach to international market entry. Rather than waiting for national regulators to independently draft AAM guidelines, eVTOL manufacturers are increasingly co-authoring these frameworks. Thailand represents a high-potential market for urban air mobility due to severe ground congestion in Bangkok and a strong tourism sector reliant on island and coastal transfers. By establishing regulatory parameters early, Eve positions its Eve 100 aircraft favorably for future Certification and operational approval within the Thai airspace system.

Sources: Eve Air Mobility

All Nippon Airways (NH) and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 18, 2026, establishing a framework for a comprehensive partnerships that includes interline connectivity, codeshare agreements, and loyalty program reciprocity.

In a press release issued on August 18, 2026, ANA HOLDINGS Inc. detailed that the agreement is designed to bridge the Japanese and Middle Eastern aviation markets. The partnership will leverage ANA’s dual hubs at Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) and Narita International Airport (NRT) alongside Riyadh Air’s developing base in Saudi Arabia’s capital, subject to regulatory approvals.

Strategic Network Expansion

The MoU outlines a phased approach to integration between the two carriers. Initial phases will focus on establishing interline ticketing and seamless baggage transfers, eventually progressing to full codeshare operations and reciprocal benefits for frequent flyers. Riyadh Air Chief Executive Officer Tony Douglas emphasized the strategic value of the alignment for the startups airline.

“This unique agreement with ANA reflects Riyadh Air’s ambition to build meaningful global partnerships that expand choice and deliver long-term value to our guests. The MoU with ANA will provide a seamless premium experience for our passengers while laying the groundwork for stronger connectivity between Riyadh and Tokyo, and supporting broader commercial, operational, and guest experience opportunities as we continue to grow our network.”

For ANA, which was founded in 1952 and has held a 5-Star rating from SKYTRAX since 2013, the partnership represents an opportunity to capture traffic from a high-growth region without immediately deploying its own aircraft. ANA CEO Juichi Hirasawa noted the economic potential of the Saudi market.

“This partnership reflects ANA’s ambition to connect Japan with Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East, a region of remarkable economic growth, while welcoming Riyadh Air’s guests to destinations across Japan and Asia. We are thrilled to partner with a young, dynamic, and innovative carrier whose relentless pursuit of high-quality service perfectly mirrors our own values.”

Riyadh Air’s Rapid Growth Trajectory

Launched in March 2023 as a wholly owned company of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Riyadh Air is aggressively building its network and fleet ahead of its target to serve more than 100 destinations by 2030. According to reporting by Aviation Week, the carrier expanded its network to nine destinations in August 2026, adding routes to Mumbai, India; Dhaka, Bangladesh; and Islamabad and Lahore, Pakistan.

To support this expansion, the Airlines is securing significant widebody capacity. On July 20, 2026, at the Farnborough Airshow, Riyadh Air firmed up an orders for six additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. Airbus confirmed in a July 2026 statement that this transaction brings the carrier’s total firm commitment for the A350-1000 to 31 airframes.

ANA’s Broader Market Adjustments

While expanding its international reach through partnerships, ANA is simultaneously restructuring its domestic operations. Aviation Week reported that on August 18, 2026, ANA and Japan Airlines (JL) announced their first-ever domestic schedule coordination.

The coordination targets the Tokyo Haneda to Okayama route and is designed to address viability concerns in the Japanese domestic market. This dual approach highlights ANA’s strategy of consolidating domestic capacity while pursuing high-growth international partnerships to drive future revenue.

AirPro News analysis

We view this MoU as a highly strategic alignment for both carriers. For Riyadh Air, securing a partnership with an established, premium operator like ANA provides immediate credibility and access to the lucrative East Asian market before the Saudi carrier even reaches full operational scale. For ANA, the agreement offers a low-risk foothold in the rapidly expanding Middle Eastern market. By partnering with a well-capitalized new entrant, ANA can capture connecting traffic and test market demand without the financial exposure of launching its own direct flights to Riyadh.

Sources: ANA Group Corp.

LandSpace successfully launched and recovered the first stage of its Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) Y2 carrier rocket on August 19, 2026, marking China’s first land-based vertical recovery of an orbital-class booster using deployable legs.

The mission lifted off from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Area and successfully delivered the Honghu-03 satellite, developed by Hongqing Technology, to orbit. According to a press release issued by LandSpace, the successful touchdown transitions the Zhuque-3 program from recovery technology verification to engineering reuse verification, a critical step toward operational reusability.

Flight profile and technical upgrades

The Zhuque-3 Y2 launched at 07:35 Beijing Time on August 19, 2026 (23:35 UTC on August 18). Following stage separation, the first stage executed a controlled descent and landed at the Zhuque-3 recovery pad in Minqin County, Gansu Province, at 07:41 Beijing Time. The total flight time for the first stage was 137 seconds.

LandSpace implemented several engineering optimizations for the Y2 mission following the December 3, 2025, maiden flight of the Zhuque-3 Y1, which reached orbit but failed to recover its first stage. The Y2 vehicle featured a simplified landing propulsion scheme utilizing fewer landing ignition engines. The company also upgraded the autonomous safety control system to include predicted impact point functions and enhanced the vehicle’s thermal protection for reentry.

The mission also served as a testbed for payload deployment technologies. The rocket carried LandSpace’s self-developed non-pyrotechnic stacked hold-down and release mechanism. The company stated this system is designed to support future large constellation deployments and high-cadence batch launches.

“This mission is China’s first successful recovery of a carrier rocket first stage using landing legs, and also China’s first successful land recovery of an orbital-class carrier rocket first stage,” LandSpace noted in its official release.

China’s dual-track reusable rocket development

The successful recovery of the Zhuque-3 Y2 first stage establishes a second distinct reusable rocket architecture within the Chinese aerospace sector. The achievement follows a separate milestone by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).

On July 10, 2026, CASC successfully recovered the first stage of a Long March 10B rocket at sea using a net-capture system, according to reporting by Space.com. The parallel development of sea-based net capture by a state-owned entity and land-based vertical touchdown by a private company provides China with multiple operational pathways for launch vehicle reusability.

Market-Analysis

The successful landing of the Zhuque-3 Y2 first stage demonstrates rapid maturation in China’s commercial launch sector. By validating the vertical leg-landing architecture just six weeks after CASC demonstrated its sea-based net-capture system, the Chinese aerospace industry has significantly expanded its reusable launch capabilities. We view the successful flight test of LandSpace’s non-pyrotechnic release mechanism as equally consequential for the commercial market. As satellite operators shift toward megaconstellations, the ability to deploy stacked payloads reliably without pyrotechnic shock will be a critical enabler for high-cadence launch operations.

Sources: LandSpace