Beyond Aero Secures $44 Million for Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft Project
Key Ideas
- Beyond Aero raises $44 million in funding, with $20 million from a Series A round led by UK fund Giant Ventures and the Deep Tech 2030 fund.
- The company achieved a significant milestone by completing France's first manned flight powered entirely by hydrogen-electric propulsion.
- Eloa Guillotin, CEO of Beyond Aero, is praised as a visionary leader for her ambition to transform aviation with hydrogen-electric powered aircraft.
- Beyond Aero is building a state-of-the-art hydrogen propulsion test center in Toulouse to advance its technology to TRL6 level, with a power output of over 600 kW.
Beyond Aero, a start-up working on hydrogen-powered aircraft, has secured $44 million in funding, including a $20 million Series A round led by UK fund Giant Ventures and the Deep Tech 2030 fund managed by Bpifrance. The company recently achieved a significant milestone by conducting France's first manned flight powered entirely by hydrogen-electric propulsion. Beyond Aero has also appointed Luiz Oliveira, a former technical expert at Embraer, as Chief Engineer.
The funding has strengthened the company's position, with praise for CEO Eloa Guillotin's visionary leadership in the aerospace industry. Beyond Aero plans to use $12 million to establish a hydrogen propulsion test center in Toulouse, which will test various components of the propulsion system. The company has also secured $914 million in letters of intent for 108 aircraft.
This development marks a significant step forward in the advancement of hydrogen-powered aviation technology, positioning Beyond Aero as a key player in the industry's transition towards more sustainable aircraft.