The European Investment Bank (EIB) has announced that, through its advisory services, it will be providing support for the German aviation company VÆRIDION during the development of a fully electric regional aircraft.
Advisory support will aim to assist the company in the advancement of its Microliner programme towards industrialisation, as well as prepare it for future investment.
All support will be provided under the EU Innovation Fund Project Development Assistance (IFPDA) programme.
Ivor van Dartel, CEO and Co-founder of VÆRIDION, said:Electric regional aircraft can transform how people move between smaller cities and regions – not in 2050, but within the next decade.
With the Microliner, we aim to provide clean, affordable flights on routes that today are either unserved or reliant on fossil fuels, leveraging the 2,300 regional airports that already exist across Europe.
The EIB’s advisory support brings in scaleup expertise on topics like project structuring, risk management and access to public and private funding, helping us turn a promising technology prototype into a bankable industrial project that can be rolled out at scale.
VÆRIDION, a manufacturer of small, all-electric regional aircraft, is bringing together engineers to develop the Microliner, a 9-seat, fully electric aircraft designed for short-haul regional routes up to 400 kilometres.
The new aircraft is intended to operate with zero inflight emissions, lower noise levels and higher energy efficiency than traditional aircraft, and will aim to offer a new option for cost-competitive and climate friendly regional connections. The company has, thus far, secured an initial order, as well as partnerships with a number of additional companies.
Designed to improve access to remote regions currently underserved by both highway and high-speed rail, once developed the vehicle would aim to provide electric flights from small existing airport, relinking mid-sized cities, islands and rural regions that have recently lost scheduled air services.
As part of its development programme; VÆRIDION plans to establish a dedicated manufacturing site at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport in Germany, which will serve as the company’s primary production and assembly hub for its proprietary airborne battery systems, as well as the central testing location for the Microliner’s first flight.
The facility should, additionally, lay the groundwork for future serial production of the Microliner, which, once in operation, is expected to contribute to the decarbonisation of short haul aviation whilst simultaneously enhancing regional connectivity.
Current targets will see the Microliner embark on its first flight in 2027, with entry into service expected by 2030 following certification. By this time, the company has stated that it anticipates that Microliners could provide a zero-emission alternative on a large share of today’s short haul turboprop routes across Europe.
For its part; the EIB’s advisory team will aid VÆRIDION in the drawing up of a detailed business plan, financing structure and risk analysis so that private investors and public funds may support a ramp-p from technology prototype to serial production.
