Electric milestones, scrap metal and the Hormuz effect - Aviation Comment #208
Elysian Aircraft E9X
So, here we are, a fresh wrap-up of what’s going on in the aviation industry, with the focus, as always on sustainability and innovation. These last few days we have seen some startups like Elysian, Beyond Aero, AURA AERO and Hermeus make progress in their bold projects and, yet, a heap of scrap metal which was once a Lilium Jet prototype reminds us of the challenges ahead.
In any case, some companies do make it to an old age, and SAS and Lufthansa, which marked their 80th and 100th anniversaries in a special way, are a good reminder of this!
Electric Aviation: Designs, Batteries & Milestones
Elysian Aircraft, which featured on the Allplane podcast not long ago, has completed the Conceptual Design Review of its all-electric E9X airliner. The review has confirmed the original design approach while introducing targeted tweaks to make the project more robust. Since the E9X only exists on paper for now, this is exactly the right moment to refine hypotheses and make the key architectural choices.
Swiss electric aviation startup H55 has delivered the first conforming battery modules to its Czech partner BRM Aero. These modules will need to undergo full certification before the Bristell B23 Energic fully-electric aircraft can enter service — with 2027 as the target. Ambitious? Quite.
eVTOL: Progress in the Air, Questions on the Ground
Vertical Aerospace has completed its first thrustborne transition flight and there's a pretty cool video to prove it:
The aircraft has so far only transitioned from vertical to horizontal flight; the next step is to complete the full sequence back to vertical. The technical progress is genuinely impressive — the big question remains whether Vertical has enough runway financially to reach the market. A recent capital increase helps, but the company still looks somewhat undercapitalized compared to its American peers.
On a sadder note: the Lilium Jet prototypes have ended up as scrap metal, after failing to find buyers. A sobering reminder of how unforgiving this industry can be.
Hydrogen Aviation: Design Milestones & Skeptics
About a month ago, French hydrogen startup Beyond Aero completed its Preliminary Design Review, developing its hydrogen-electric aircraft under the CS-25 certification framework. This is a meaningful milestone, but not everyone is convinced.
Industry analyst (and recent Allplane Podcast guest) Adrian Norris has made the case that Beyond Aero may not make it after all. Worth reading if you follow the hydrogen space closely!
Sustainability & Clean Tech
French startup Estuaire, which helps airlines optimize operations to cut emissions, has landed Air France as a client — a major sign-up for the young company.
Funding & Growth
Another French startup, AURA AERO, has raised €340 million to date, confirming its ambitions across three programs (INTEGRAL, ERA, and ENBATA) and two continents — Toulouse and Florida.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, hypersonics startup Hermeus has raised an additional $350 million, reaching a $1 billion valuation and relocating its corporate headquarters from Atlanta to Los Angeles.
Airlines & Alliances
ITA Airways has officially joined Star Alliance, giving the Italian carrier — and its passengers — a major network boost.
Turkish Airlines has appointed a new Chairman and CEO — a move that caught many in the industry off guard.
Since Turkish is always a popular topic, it's a good moment to revisit our comparison of its business class products across the A350, B777, and A330.
Beautiful Liveries
Two stunning special schemes to admire this week:
SAS is marking its 80th anniversary with an A330-300 in a historical livery
Starlux Airlines has unveiled a golden Sorayama livery on its A350-1000
And not forgetting: Lufthansa marked its 100th anniversary with two special flights re-enacting its very first day of operations back in 1926. A century of flying.
Industry Events
EBACE, Europe's largest executive aviation show, has been cancelled for 2026 — not entirely a surprise given the decline in both size and prestige of recent editions.
The question now is whether it makes a comeback, in Geneva or elsewhere, or whether Aero Friedrichshafen steps into the void.
Aviation Industry Clusters
I finally put together a full overview of Catalonia's aerospace ecosystem — a cluster that has grown from virtually nothing to a significant industrial force over the past two decades.
Another remarkable story: Cluj-Napoca International Airport in Romania, which I had the chance to visit recently to interview its CEO.
The airport has multiplied its activity many times over and is now thinking about transatlantic flights. Transylvania, it turns out, has quite a lot to offer tourists.
The Hormuz Effect
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz may end up achieving what years of environmental campaigns couldn't: reducing aviation emissions by grounding aircraft due to jet fuel shortages. Italy has already flagged supply concerns at four airports, with more potentially to follow.
On a more uplifting note: the Omani side of the Strait — the Musandam Peninsula — is stunningly beautiful and should be on every traveller's bucket list, as soon as circumstances allow.
New Airlines
And finally: the list of new airlines launched in 2025 keeps growing — worth a look if you track the industry's new entrants.
