No fewer than five different electric, hybrid or hydrogen-powered aircraft are under development in France – and could be ready to take paying passengers within the next five years.
Toulouse firm Aura Aero is developing a 19-seat electric hybrid aircraft called Era with eight small electric motors run from batteries and two generators.
It will be capable of flying 1,500km at speeds of more than 500km/h, with an all-electric take-off.
A freight version will carry 1.9 tonnes of cargo over the same distance.
The company has already seen airlines sign up for around 500 Era aircraft, even though the first flight is only due to take place in 2026.
“We are confident that with our experience getting our smaller aeroplanes certified, we will meet the 2030 target for full certification to carry passengers, resulting in 80% less CO2 per flight, ” a spokeswoman told The Connexion.
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Electric-motored planes
The technology in the Era has also been used to develop a fully electric two-seater aircraft aimed at pilot training schools, which had its first flight in December.
Called the Integral E, it shares many features with two petrol-engined models by the same firm, called Integral R and Integral S. The Integral R received full certification, including for aerobatics, in December.
While the Integral R can fly for three hours at 300km/h, the electric version will be able to fly for only 55 minutes. This leaves enough charge to not only land, but travel 30 minutes to another airport if necessary.
Recharging the batteries takes 30 minutes, and the company says most flight training sessions are based on sessions lasting under an hour.
The electric motor comes from French company Safran, which also makes jet and helicopter engines.
The motors have also been used by Daher, one of the big names in French aviation and based in Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) on its fast turbo-prop business aircraft called the TBM. It put six on the wings – two of the motors use batteries and the other four, generators.
While the prototype flew well, Daher said it is waiting for battery technology to advance before it develops the aircraft further.
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In Charente-Maritime, VoltAero has opened a new factory just outside Rochefort to build a hybrid petrol-electric aeroplane called the Cassio.
It will have three models ranging from four to 12 seats, with the propeller at the back.
Battery power will be used for take-off, then a small Kawasaki motor will kick in to keep the batteries charged and provide back-up.
Certification started in mid-2024, and the company hopes to be ready to sell the first examples by the end of 2025.
Air ambulance innovation
Another firm, based in Toulouse and called Ascendance, is building a low-noise, low-carbon alternative to helicopters, especially for air-ambulance missions.
Called Atea, the hybrid-electric aircraft has two sets of wings. It takes off vertically in electric mode using eight rotors embedded in the wings.
Once at the appropriate altitude, the front and rear propellers, located in the nose and the vertical tail plane of the aircraft, are turned on to provide horizontal thrust.
Back-up to the batteries is provided by a specially built motor which burns jet fuel, although there are plans for a hydrogen-powered alternative in the future.
Ascendance says the aircraft will accommodate a pilot and four passengers, which can include patients on stretchers. It will have a 400km range.
More conventional looking is a new aircraft from Beyond Aero, also based in Toulouse.
The eight-seater, which could be on the market by 2030, promises to be the first electric business aircraft designed for hydrogen propulsion.
Beyond Aero has opened offices in Los Angeles and raised a total of $44million to develop its idea.
A scaled-down version of the motor flew on a microlight in early 2024.
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Protecting eagles
Plans for Aura Aero’s new factory at Francazal airport near Toulouse, a former air force base, had to be tweaked when an environmental survey found that protected Booted Eagles, migratory birds, were using the airport as a regular hunting ground during the summer.
The eagles had moved in when the air force moved out.
“We had to take the unexpected visitor into account but there were no substantial modifications needed to the buildings,” an Aura-Aero spokeswoman said.
“It has not caused a delay and we are all set to start building the new factory before the end of 2025."
