At the Paris Air Show, Vaeridion presented four new partnerships aimed at advancing the development, certification and integration of its nine-seat all-electric Microliner. The collaborations span France, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands, focusing on propulsion, regulation and flight readiness.

Vaeridion and France’s AURA AERO are aligning to shape European policy and charging infrastructure for electric aircraft. Both are working towards certification of their respective models (the Integral E, ERA and Microliner) before 2030, and will explore joint lab and flight testing. Vaeridion CEO Ivor van Dartel says: “With our shared vision on design for certification and development backgrounds, we embrace this cooperation together with AURA AERO, building on complementary strengths and capabilities in line with our European heritage in international cooperation in Aeronautics.” AURA AERO CEO Jérémy Caussade adds: “Together with Vaeridion, we are bringing Europe at the forefront of electrical aircraft, with a joint approach towards certification and entry to service before 2030. We are happy to jointly reinforce European leadership on sustainable regional air connectivity.”

In parallel, propulsion work will advance with Evolito, using the UK firm’s axial-flux electric motors. Evolito’s lightweight electric engine system will be integrated with Vaeridion’s multi-motor single-propeller setup. CTO Markus Kochs-Kämper says: “Among the global supply-chain for electric propulsion systems we’ve surveyed, Evolito offers a winning combination of market-ready technology and manufacturing capability.” Evolito CEO Dr Chris Harris adds: “By joining forces early, our companies are accelerating the development of electric propulsion technologies that meet the performance, efficiency and regulatory demands of this next-generation regional aircraft.”

Propeller development is being addressed in collaboration with German firm MT-Propeller, with its ‘Silent 7’ constant-speed propeller under consideration for the Microliner. The design offers low noise and high efficiency using natural composite blades. MT-Propeller vice president Martin Albrecht says: “We are keen to accept the challenge designing a propeller for a 100% electric powered aircraft with our broad experience in this area.” Kochs-Kämper adds: “MT-Propeller brings unparalleled expertise to this effort, and we’re proud to have them engaged in the project from an early stage.”

A fourth agreement was signed with the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) to support validation, flight testing and regulatory compliance. NLR will use its facilities to help de-risk development of the Microliner, intended for flights up to 400 km. Van Dartel says: “NLR’s extensive experience with European aviation authorities and its world-class testing facilities will allow us to de-risk critical aspects of our development roadmap.” NLR CTO Martin Nagelsmit adds: “This MoU with Vaeridion reflects our dedication to supporting emerging innovative OEM’s with our applied research, testing and certification expertise.”

Vaeridion is aiming to fly a certification-ready Microliner prototype by 2027 and to begin commercial operations by 2030.