Introducing “New Aero” The Beyond Aero White Paper
Eloa Guillotin
Co-Founder & CEO
Hugo Tarlé
Co-Founder & COO
Valentin Chomel
Co-Founder & CSO
Jacques-Alexis Verrecchia
Head of Product

Introduction

2025-03-17 – In a sustainable aviation future, the industry must embrace transformative propulsion paradigms to meet mounting environmental pressures and evolving regulatory landscapes. Traditional models—high cruise speeds, international hubs, jumbo jets, and ultra-long range flights—will likely become obsolete. Drawing inspiration from the daring pioneers of the past and leveraging modern innovations, our strategy for the new era of aviation balances performance, safety, and economic
viability with environmental stewardship.
In this paper, we propose a vision for the coming decades that reimagines flying, traveling, and connecting. Our approach focuses on ensuring environmentally sustainable flights that align with the planet’s resources while streamlining the experience for passengers, pilots, and operators.
By addressing the inherent limitations of batteries and conventional sustainable fuels—such as energy density challenges and geopolitical dependencies—we believe that hydrogen represents the only viable
solution for electric aviation, offering a pathway to a radically better future in air travel.

The emissions’ challenge

The Paris agreement aligned aviation trajectory
Since the 2nd industrial revolution, human activities have driven greenhouse gas emissions to dangerous
levels, threatening our planet’s well-being. The Paris Agreement—endorsed by 196 parties in 2015—aims
to keep global warming below 2°C, mandating immediate emission reductions across all sectors.

Aviation currently contributes to 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions1 (Bergero et al., 2023). However, with a
53%2 increase in emissions from 2000 to 2019 driven by rising air traffic—and non-CO₂ radiative effects
pushing aviation’s overall climate impact to between 3.5% and 4%—the stakes are high. With passenger
numbers predicted to double by 20503 unchecked growth could see aviation’s share of global carbon
emissions exceed 25%.
While significant progress in aircraft efficiency has been achieved over recent decades, meeting the
stringent climate targets now requires a shift from incremental improvements to radical innovation. Facing mounting regulatory and social pressure—exemplified by international climate commitments and public demand for greener technologies—the industry must adopt sustainable propulsion systems and other disruptive solutions. Without such changes, the aviation sector may confront stricter regulations, higher taxes, or even air travel bans.
The “flygskam”4 movement reflects a growing call for mindful, responsible air travel. To avert the severe
consequences of unchecked growth, the aviation industry must evolve both its operational practices and its technologies for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

The case for electrification and hydrogen

To address the exposed challenge, incremental innovations are not sufficient enough. True disruptions must arise. An exhaustive overlook at current and future technologies must be done, with a key focus on
technical feasibility, developments’ requirements and economical viability. The potential energy sources for aviation’s future span a wide spectrum—from conventional jet fuel to biofuels, synthetic fuels, hydrogen combustion, hydrogen-electric systems, and battery-electric propulsion. Our guiding principles dictate that we must collectively abandon fossil fuels, such as kerosene, and avoid reliance on fuels whose production competes for land, agricultural output, or energy generation. Instead, we must channel our resources toward solutions that offer genuine, enduring change with the lowest possible emissions throughout their lifecycle.

Comparative analysis of technologies

Battery limitations
Modern batteries provide an energy density of roughly 250 Wh/kg—orders of magnitude lower than the
approximately 12,000 Wh/kg delivered by jet fuel5. This disparity restricts the range and payload capacity
of battery-powered aircraft, confining them to operations spanning only a few hundred kilometers at best.
Even with ongoing advancements in battery technology, these limitations make it implausible for battery-electric propulsion to meet the full spectrum of aviation requirements. Additionally, the uneven global distribution of the critical materials needed for battery production risks geopolitical imbalances.

While sustainable and biofuels offer a reduction in net CO₂ emissions compared to fossil fuels, they still rely on combustion, which produces NOx and other pollutants—especially problematic at high altitudes. These fuels also face challenges related to feedstock availability and lifecycle emissions. They represent a
necessary transitional solution, but their reliance on combustion means they cannot fully address the
pressing need for deep decarbonization. Moreover, fuels like 1st and 2nd generation biofuels (e.g., FT,
HEFA, SIP, or AtJ SAFs) risk competing with essential land and energy resources, making them less viable as long-term solutions. Alternative approaches, such as PtL SAF combustion via existing turbines, also suffer from lower energy efficiency and scale challenges—being roughly 3.5 times less efficient and more
expensive to produce.

Hydrogen is the right option

Hydrogen emerges as a compelling alternative due to its high specific energy by weight and independence from scarce materials. When utilized in an electric powerplant, hydrogen offers the potential for near-zero CO₂ emissions. Early economic models suggest that—even if near-term range concessions are necessary—the overall lifecycle costs of hydrogen-powered aircraft can be competitive,
positioning hydrogen as the cornerstone for a sustainable aviation future678. Although hydrogen
production currently poses challenges—especially if derived from fossil fuels via processes like steam
methane reforming—scalable, low-emission methods are available using renewable or nuclear electricity.
When produced as green (renewable-based) or pink (nuclear-based) hydrogen, hydrogen-electric aircraft
become significantly more efficient than all alternatives9, reinforcing their role as the “low-emissions
darling” of the sector.

Fuel cells: the technology cornerstone

The heart of this novel propulsion system is the fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity, heat,
water, and depleted air through electrochemical reactions between external reactants – hydrogen and
oxygen from air. Fuel cells have no moving parts and do not face extreme temperatures in their operating
cycle, making them reliable and low-maintenance. They have had commercial applications for decades. Even in terms of their reaction products, the water produced by the fuel cell is pure water, meaning it should not create condensation trails (no condensation nuclei, such as combustion soot in a combustion turbine – to be flight tested) that have a radiative forcing effect on the climate.
There are several categories of fuel cells. We work with the Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell
type for its acceptable volumetric and mass characteristics for aviation. The Low Temperature PEM cell
technology is mature and has been used in cars, maritime, and portable energy production units. The
current focus of Low Temperature PEM cell development is to enhance performance while reducing costs
via manufacturing at scale. High-temperature PEM cell technology is currently in development across the
industry, but it is not yet mature enough to be used in aviation. We are working to demonstrate the global state-of-the-art level of 0.8 kW/kg for our LT-PEM airworthy system (including Balance of Plant, necessary for a PEM fuel cell to function properly). This is already achievable with existing technology. While further development will undoubtedly enhance the technology, technology is already suitable for use in lightaircraft today.
As the technology improves, it will deliver better performance, reduce costs and require less maintenance.
This marks the onset of a new technological era in aviation. We are committed to surpass expectations,
however, our aircraft will take flight even in the most conservative technological scenario. Maintenance is
mainly localized on the change of the deionization cartridges and the draining of the cooling system
(accessible and easy to realize).

An air supply system, hydrogen storage and distribution, thermal management, and electrical management make the fuel cell a self-contained system (the fuel cell powers its auxiliaries). All this powers an electric motor that drives a ducted fan. The redundancy and integration of these systems in the vehicle are key to performance. The integration of the tanks is radically different from conventional kerosene tanks; thermal management requirements have a significant impact on the aerodynamics of the aircraft, and cabin environment management is optimized differently as well. A retrofit integration is faster but will always have more mass, drag, and impact on the aircraft’s economic variables (cabin space and payload). In the short term, it is a great option for quickly decarbonizing aviation. But in the longer term, a clean sheet design is necessary to define a new aircraft standard around these constraints.
Expertise and intellectual property mainly in the area of system integration is required. This is a crucial
aspect in defining what will ultimately become the new standard for the aviation industry.

Hydrogen’s safety in modern aviation

Hydrogen’s safety credentials have been rigorously validated across diverse applications. While the
Hindenburg disaster still echoes in public memory, extensive studies in space launch systems, military
aviation, and fuel-cell vehicles have demonstrated that hydrogen’s intrinsic properties make it safer than
conventional fuels. In fact, gaseous hydrogen stored at 700 bar has been employed safely in heavy-duty
applications for decades10. And more than a billion kilometers have been driven by 72,000+ FCEV11 in the world, over more than 30 years. The advantages of hydrogen include lower detonability, rapid evaporation in spill or leak scenarios as hydrogen is 15x lighter than air and rises quickly, fast burning, reduced heat radiation, and non-toxic combustion products. The current 1000+ refueling stations around the world have been proven safe as well, and their number is increasing rapidly (+60% over the between 2021 and 202312).
Nonetheless, hydrogen demands specific safety measures due to challenges such as different flame color,
suffocation risks in unventilated spaces, and frostbite hazards associated with cryogenic liquid hydrogen.
Mitigation strategies—like H2 leak detectors, robust ventilation systems, and rigorous testing protocols
compliant with ISO, IEC, and ATEX IIC/IECEx standards—are essential to ensure safe operations.
Embracing a clean sheet aircraft design further enhances safety; by optimally integrating hydrogen storage systems in locations tailored to its properties, engineers can eliminate legacy constraints from traditional hydrocarbon storage, thereby improving weight distribution, aerodynamics, and overall performance.
Coupled with ongoing advancements in hydrogen production, storage, and fuel-cell efficiency, these safety and design strategies not only reinforce hydrogen’s viability but also position hydrogen-electric
powerplants as a scalable solution. Despite initial concessions in range and storage efficiency, early
adopters benefit from lower fuel costs, lower maintenance costs and reduced environmental penalties,
paving the way for broader implementation and a resilient, low-emission aviation ecosystem.

Hydrogen infrastructure and logistics

For green hydrogen to catalyze a sustainable aviation future, robust infrastructures and innovative logistics are essential. Low-carbon electrolytic hydrogen is produced via electrolysis powered by renewable or nuclear electricity. Depending on local constraints, hydrogen can be generated on-site at airports or off-site at dedicated facilities13141516. From production to the runway, it is transported either as a compressed gas at 700 bar—via trailer trucks or pipelines—or as cryogenic liquid hydrogen, ensuring efficient delivery despite storage efficiency concessions.

These logistical solutions are under development across multiple sectors—from transportation (buses,
trucks, trains, ships, and cars) to industrial processes like steelmaking and ammonia production. Once
delivered, hydrogen is stored on-site in gaseous or liquid form to meet aircraft refueling requirements, with airport operations tailored through specialized trucks, fueling stations, or hydrant systems. Early economic analyses indicate that, even with modest range concessions for early adopters, lower operating costs and reduced environmental penalties create a compelling economic case. Moreover, innovations such as mobile storage and operations stations—like electric truck trailers that can service an entire average business airport in a day—underscore the practical scalability of these solutions. Considering that 15% of business airports operate 90% of flights17equipping the top 10 most-used business airports on each continent with hydrogen refueling capabilities could enable hydrogen-electric aircraft to serve 15% of global missions, amounting to over 500,000 flights per year.
The publication of SAE AIR846618, titled “Hydrogen Fueling Stations for Airports, in Both Gaseous and
Liquid Form” further reinforces this trajectory by providing a standardized framework for airport hydrogen
infrastructure. This guideline outlines best practices for designing, implementing, and operating hydrogen
fueling stations, ensuring safety, efficiency, and compatibility with emerging hydrogen-electric aircraft. As
regulatory clarity improves and industry stakeholders align on infrastructure investments, the adoption
curve for hydrogen in aviation is ready to accelerate.

The clean sheet design

The new constraints brought by hydrogen create an opportunity for an innovative integration. The
integration of any new technology in an aircraft appears simpler and faster through a retrofit. The added
value often does not justify the complexity of a clean sheet design. In the case of a hydrogen powertrain, the new constraints are profound enough to justify it. Concretely, wing volumes cannot act as tanks (unlike in kerosene-powered aircraft), and for the same carried energy, hydrogen still requires a higher volume (though a lesser weight for liquid hydrogen). The powertrain itself is still heavier and more voluminous than the power-equivalent jet engine. Hydrogen-electric aircraft retrofits are great to deploy the technology on short term but clean sheet designs are necessary to scale as a dominant technology.
Breguet Range Equation (1st order) describes the differences in performances between architectures:

Retrofitting an aircraft forces it to put part of the extra required volume in the cabin (especially in low-wing designs), where the only available space is located. This forces the suppression of passenger seats. For a first order clean sheet design, the extra volume can be added in extra fuselage length, conserving the volume allocated to passengers. Both of these approaches require an air intake to evacuate the heat
produced by the fuel-cell system, the drag of which could be obviously optimized further in a clean sheet
design than in a retrofit. Furthermore, with a clean sheet design, weight distribution can be rethought to
include the new requirements. For instance, wings do not have to act as tank carriers, so they can be lighter.

This gives a potential new payload that can be transferred into a longer range (since more hydrogen can be carried) or a higher payload capacity.
One could argue that in the case of a retrofit, the extra required volume could be added in nacelles under
the wings. But the extra drag this creates reduces the performance. The unconstrained approach of a clean sheet designed air intake also reduces the drag created.
The clean sheet design approach for the integration of such a disruptive technology allows the use of new
manufacturing technologies and the consideration of maintenance-oriented requirements. Electric engines are far more reliable than jet engines, so they do not require an access as easy as for the compressor stages of a jet engine. And as a newcomer company, we are not constrained by the need to rely on previously f inanced means of production or previously hired headcount, providing us the freedom to fully embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution up until the very conceptualisation and design phases. The newly revised light aircraft regulation framework19 (FAA FAR23/EASA CS23 were deeply changed in 2017) adds to the value to be gained from a clean sheet design.
As a result of this process, we developed an architecture optimized for an optimized vehicle integration of
the powertrain, from tanks and thermal management systems to motors. We patented those findings. This design provides a robust, efficient and scalable solution for safe hydrogen storage and usage in our aircraft.
We are developing the aircraft around the constraints of the new type of powertrain, making possible,
certifiable, and profitable the first aircraft designed for hydrogen propulsion.

Startup versus established players

One question remains. Why would the winner be a startup?
In the 1980s, aircraft manufacturers ended the integrated firm model. The purchasing ratio doubled,
leading to an increase in the number of suppliers. This was followed by a phase of industry structuring and consolidation, organized into four verticals of outsourcing: aerostructure, equipment, systems and
aeronautical equipment. Aircraft manufacturers are therefore concentrating on their core business but also their existing constraints: overall cabin and aircraft architecture, systems integration, assembly processes and plants, customization and testing judged to be crucial to aircraft integrity and safety.
This strategy led to better efficiencies but it has also lowered the barriers for new entrants in this industry.
It is now possible for startups to be aircraft manufacturers, relying on pivotal-firms and specialized
suppliers to handle some of the specific, combinatorial and operational competencies (like composite
airframe, fly-by-wire avionics, doors, gears, seats), thus avoiding the initial capital expenditure of setting up their own manufacturing plants on these topics.
Startups also add speed and agility to the process. Such a freedom to explore, analyze and try out, without risks, corporate rigidity and internal political agendas is not only beneficial but probably essential to bring such a disruptive innovation to maturity. The ability to shorten cycles from concept to flight validation, the demonstrator approach, the Agile way with a lot of testing in early stages helps to go faster and cheaper.
We believe other industries have proven it is a serious way to improve our way of working. We are
convinced that clean-sheet hydrogen-electric aircraft can be scaled to market by a startup by 2050, thus
participating to align aviation emissions trajectory to The Paris Agreement, while continuing to connect
people and cultures (with the right management of air travel demand).

Apple developed as a newcomer the smartphone that incumbents (Motorola, Erikson Blackberry, etc) tried to create. All car OEMs have tried electrical cars since the 90’s but Tesla learnt with small retrofit
prototypes to test their powertrain and then developed a car around an improved powertrain. Space
launchers couldn’t be reused until some newcomers named SpaceX demonstrated otherwise. Oneweb or
Starlink constellations of ”disposable” satellites that are faster to manufacture, lighter, cheaper and less
reliable changed this industry. We believe that aviation is next.

Conclusion, roadmap, and future outlook

In order to match The Paris Agreement and cumulated carbon budgets from 2023 to 2050, a three-step
plan is required: we must scale hydrogen-electric aircraft by 2050, deploy transition solutions with scalable technologies like drop-in synthetic fuel and adopt a more sober approach to air travel. Existing and in production platforms should maximize the use of Power-To-Liquid SAF and all new platforms should be clean sheet hydrogen-electric designs.

2020–2030: The Seed Phase

● Prototype development: Begin by integrating gaseous hydrogen systems into business aviation
prototypes designed from the ground up for optimal performance.
● Infrastructure and transition solutions: Simultaneously, deploy transition technologies such as
drop-in synthetic fuels—maximizing the use of PtL SAF on existing platforms—to bridge the gap as
hydrogen-electric systems mature. Collaborate on developing hydrogen refueling stations at select
airports using proven models from other sectors.
● Regulatory and safety assurance: Leverage extensive safety data from heavy industries to build
regulatory confidence, streamline certification processes, and ensure that safety standards are met
from the outset.

2030–2040: The Harvest Phase

● Technology optimization: Focus on enhancing hydrogen storage, fuel-cell efficiency, and prepare for
the transition from gaseous to liquid hydrogen systems as R&D breakthroughs and regulatory frameworks evolve.
● Ecosystem development: Form strategic partnerships with energy providers, regulators, and
aerospace stakeholders to expand hydrogen infrastructure and refine clean sheet aircraft designs for
broader adoption.
2025 – © BEYOND AERO

2040–2050: The Consolidation Phase

● Full-Scale Adoption: With mature and proven technologies in the business aviation market, extend the
transition to larger, emissions-intensive commercial aircraft, thereby scaling the impact of
hydrogen-electric propulsion.
● Industry Leadership: Establish a global transformation in sustainable aviation, positioning our industry
as the catalyst for a revolution in electric flight that addresses environmental, economic, and
geopolitical challenges.
United as an ecosystem, these three steps will create a cleaner, more sustainable future for all. The focus
must be on pioneering new aircraft designs that make hydrogen-electric flight not only possible but
certifiable, scalable, and profitable.

The plan

New Aero: reinventing aviation through electrification and digitalization

We model this upcoming reinvention of aviation through what we call “New Aero”. “New Aero” refers to the combination of electrification and digitalization in aviation. Electrification involves the development of
battery-electric and hydrogen-electric aircraft leading to zero-direct-emission flights. Digitalization
impacts the air transport industry through digital transformation of airlines and charter and growth of flight sharing. A standout illustration of this combination of electrification and digitalization in aviation is the Urban Air Mobility emerging market, where electric air taxis are planned to be operated via digital
ridesharing apps. This concept also refers to the emergence of relatively new aerospace actors working on
the development of this type of electric and connected aircraft.
Even if battery-electric and hydrogen-electric powertrains are nothing really new and electric aircraft look
similar to conventional aircraft, the resulting plane’s architecture is completely different, with airframe,
systems and powertrain engineered from the ground up around the battery cell or the hydrogen fuel cell.
Efficiency and performance are the result of a clean sheet design process of the aircraft around the
powertrain. The only “miracle” to achieve is an innovative aircraft architecture enabling a safe, performant
and certifiable integration of an hydrogen-electric powertrain.
For Beyond Aero, the digitalization part of the concept is materialized by an unparalleled software solution tailored for the clean-sheet hydrogen-electric aircraft described in this paper, designed to offer distinct advantages for every category of user. This platform leverages the power of broadband connectivity, structures, powertrain and equipment health monitoring by sensors, fly-by-wire avionics to enable security, personalization, upgradeability and agile problem identification and handling of customer needs. Machine learning in the cloud enables the analysis of the entire fleet of aircraft for continuous improvements, while at the level of individual airplanes, distributed computing takes over and decides what actions to take in the moment. In the long term, this will also enable a third level of decision making, when the planes form a network with other Beyond planes to share local information and analytics to optimize missions, traffic, and efficiency.

For operators and charters, the platform streamlines fleet tracking, crew staffing, operating costs estimation, prioritizes flight requests, maximizes empty leg utilization and reduces unnecessary repositioning legs. By anticipating fleet demand, it drives down operational costs and enables data-driven
decision-making for management. optimal fleet

Pilots benefit from the platform’s seamless integration with the advanced connectivity avionics of the
aircraft, enabling real-time flight route planning, aircraft preparation, and health monitoring. With access to up-to-the-minute weather updates and the ability to adjust flight plans on-the-fly, pilots experience
enhanced safety and efficiency with dramatically reduced pre-flight preparation time.

Passengers enjoy a superior flight experience, with seamless connectivity, personalized in-flight
entertainment, and effortless communication with the operator through an intuitive user interface. The
platform’s intelligent algorithms also offer valuable insights into market trends, fostering an environment of increased efficiency, safety, and satisfaction.
This reinvention that needs to happen is sometimes misinterpreted by some players for an incremental
change coming step-by-step through efficiency gains, synthetic fuels and biofuels, hybrid-electric
powertrains and emerging only via existing aircraft retrofits before the awaited next generation
narrowbody airliners developed by current incumbents (if hydrogen-electric). On the other hand, it is also
sometimes mistaken for a call for radical innovation and projects that “tend to be too visibly radical“ in their electric aircraft design, with examples like closed wings, distributed propulsion, boundary layer ingestion, bladeless propulsion systems . For the first year of the project, we studied all these radical innovations and concluded that architectural innovation is more subtle: it’s the definition of a new dominant design for aircraft but in terms of architecture, not principles.

The business case

From zero to one: a hydrogen-electric business aircraft

Beyond Aero’s plan is to start with a small business aircraft

Beyond Aero is making the first aircraft designed for hydrogen propulsion. The initial product of Beyond
Aero is a high-end, hydrogen-electric light jet aircraft, called One. Some may question whether this actually does any good for the world. Are we really in need of another high end business jet? Will it actually make a difference to global carbon emissions?
Not because it is the most emitting market
The answers are no and not much. To reduce emissions, one should fly less and more efficiently. Business
aviation emissions represent about 2%20 of aviation emissions (0.4 MtCO2) but reducing its 10x higher CO2 intensity compared to scheduled aviation is a priority (600-4,000 gCO2 /pax.km versus 60-130 gCO2
/pax.km for a regional or commercial flight).

We need disruption

However, that is missing the broader view. Almost any new technology is expensive, especially in aviation,
with safety, reliability and certification aspects. We believe that as in cars (Tesla), computers and cellphones (Apple) or appliances (Dyson), tech disruption for aviation will occur at the high end part of the market, and many design iterations and vast economies of scale will be required to achieve mass market affordability for regional and commercial aircraft in the future.


Business Aviation is the perfect market to finance these innovations

Regarding impact, business aviation is the most emissions-intensive segment. Regarding economics,
business aviation is the most profitable market for aircraft manufacturers. With more than 22,000 aircraft,
it’s a market as big in number of aircraft as commercial aviation (about 25,000 aircraft each)21, even if it
represents only 8% of global traffic22. From a technical standpoint, light aircraft under 8.6t are submitted to less challenging certification. Last but not least, it’s what we call an over-served market when comparing sold performances to actual use.

It has a strong heritage for innovation

In the past, business aviation has always been at the forefront of innovation. The first winglets ever in a
production aircraft were exhibited on the Learjet 28 in 1977. Nowadays, winglets can be seen on almost
every modern aircraft. The first civil aircraft to incorporate composite materials was Dassault’s Falcon 900
in 1986, decades before the current flagships Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, which rely heavily on carbon
fiber structures. The same goes for the Enhanced Flight Vision system integrated on the Falcon 2000/900
in 2016, followed by the Gulfstream G500 in 2017 and now arising on commercial aircraft.

Beyond the performance: cost-effective operations are key

Through continuous discussions with our clients, we have made it our top priority to not only prioritize the performance of our aircraft, but also the cost of ownership and maintenance, starting from the earliest
design phases.
On average, in our target market, fuel accounts for 32% and personnel costs account for 29% of the annual operating cost. Maintenance costs range from 20% to 30%, depending on the model, with 60% of it relating solely to the engines. Although providing precise figures would be premature, preliminary
studies indicate that the maintenance costs of hydrogen-powered propulsion systems are substantially lower than those of turbines or jet engines.
Unlike turbines and jet engines that have many rotating parts subject to high thermal cycles, our propulsion system does not have such constraints, leading to lower maintenance complexity and wear and tear. We also believe in the use of CFRP material to reduce corrosion risks and decrease inspection costs.
With conservative assumptions and single-pilot certification, our aircraft costs at least 20% less to operate
than traditional jets and is competitive with small single-turbine aircraft. The advantages of our
hydrogen-powered propulsion system are clear, as its low maintenance costs outweigh any uncertainty
surrounding fuel prices and longer term availability.

Our technology is already proving its worth, with the maintenance costs of a Toyota Mirai being eight times lower than those of an equivalent gas-powered car. With Beyond, operators can enjoy a better and cleaner product that offers unparalleled cost efficiency, higher availability with less grounding time, setting new standards for the business aviation industry.

From zero to One: business aviation market

With the current available technologies, concessions have to be made in terms of performance. Hydrogen
tanks are more volumetric and heavy than kerosene (Jet A-1) ones, resulting in integration challenges. The heat created by the fuel cell system needs to be evacuated, resulting in additional drag and weight. The use of electric motors cannot yet provide speeds comparable to the best jet engines. But a precise market and technological analysis, understanding the rising requirements of clients and passengers, and a modern innovative development strategy allow for the rise of a first success-promised solution.

An overserved market

Today’s business aircraft fleet is highly fragmented in terms of maximum range. However, the current
market is highly overserved, as exposed in the following figures: business aircraft actually fly on way shorter distances than the ones they are designed to cross. Even though a hydrogen-electric aircraft would not yet be able to compete with the current long range jets, taking into consideration the actual performed missions allows to propose a solution with a shorter range than current high-end aircraft.
The observation is striking: 70% of flights are below 1,000 km of range, 80% below 1,500km and 90%
below 2,000 km. Hence, a hydrogen-electric business aircraft will be able to cover almost 90% of
worldwide needs, making it a viable and practical option23. Even with an unavoidable reduction (at least
for now) in maximum reachable range, hydrogen still represents the best solution for the large majority of
flights. The benefits of no flight emissions, connectivity, far outweigh the drawbacks.

Geographically, North America accounts for about 60% of the business aircraft, followed by Europe with
around 20%, and with Asia and the Middle East emerging as growing markets at about 10%. The market of business aircraft is shared between 35% turboprops and 65% jets.

Ready for a disruptive innovation

Even when considering the hypothesis of battery-electric aircraft serving all routes below 300 kms (current claims), our hydrogen-electric design could address more than 50% of yearly business aviation flights. In fact, only hydrogen can serve flights up to 1,500 km while emitting no CO2 or other greenhouse gas.

Steadily growing but not closed to new entrants

For all the segments (turboprops, light jets…), the long-term average growth rate is quite steady, around 5% CAGR (+/-1% given the segment24). Even if impacted by major events (2008 crisis, Covid pandemic, …), the market is driven by the offer: almost all manufacturers have full order books for the next several years. This under delivered demand is a strong driver for the second-hand market.

Considering a market of $21B25 per year (only on sales of new business aircraft, $15B for second-hand),
constantly growing, and a realistic go to market strategy (realistic in the sense that our penetration claims
have already been seen in this market twice in the past 10 years), Beyond Aero plan on becoming profitable and exceed $1B in revenue 3 years only after the entry in service of our aircraft.

With strong indicators and drivers, supporting our positioning

It becomes clearer and clearer that the acknowledged challenges of a switch to hydrogen are far
outweighed by the suppression of greenhouse gas emissions.
Our future clients, should they be business executives (49%), UHNWI for private use (14% of flights) or
public personalities (6%)26, all have expressed a desire for a more sustainable way of flying. For personal or entourage conviction, carbon footprint targets, ESG principles or public image, incentives to switch to clean energy for such an aircraft is strong for a significant fraction of the market (between 30 and 50% in Europe according to our client interviews and roundtables). Some customers are delaying their aircraft orders to wait for a better solution like ours and business aircraft owners and users are investing in our
company, convinced that the need they have is shared by the entire market. This represents a
significant opportunity for our proposed vision, which offers a practical and viable alternative to current
offerings in the market.

From a concept to an aircraft

The roadmap to develop such an aircraft is tightly linked to its certification. Following figures are detailing
this process in a visual way:

Certification of aircraft is crucial for ensuring safety and viability of emerging technologies in the aviation
industry. It establishes regulatory standards, which must be met before aircraft can be flown commercially, providing a level of confidence to operators, passengers, and authorities. The aviation industry is evolving, and the new CS23/FAR23 regulation amendment in 2018 recognizes this change by accommodating new forms of air mobility, and new propulsion technologies. This amendment induced a performance-based approach, rather than prescribing rigid design criteria, focusing on performance and safety objectives, making it a technology-neutral regulation with simplified certification pathways for light aircraft and new mobility solutions. Prior to this amendment, any aircraft outside the framework would have fallen under the much more restrictive CS25/FAR25 regulation, which applies to all aircraft that do not meet the criteria of other regulations. Our first aircraft at Beyond Aero is designed to meet the CS23/FAR23 requirements, making the certification process reachable at a manageable cost and effort. CS25/FAR25 certification of aircraft heavier than 8.6t is a barrier to entry, significant for a new entrant before the end of the decade.

To project ourselves addressing the emissions of the aviation industry, we must first lay a strong foundation.
Obtaining a Design Organization Approval, Production Organization Approval, and Type Certificate for a
CS23/FAR23 aircraft will provide us with the necessary building blocks to propel ourselves towards larger
aircraft. Without this groundwork, we consider that entering this segment is simply unattainable. Let’s not
shy away from the challenges ahead, but rather boldly seize this opportunity to transform the sky in an
iterative and pragmatic way.

The master plan: scaling up

The path to reinventing aviation: a required three-step plan
At Beyond Aero, we are pursuing this industry reinvention with a scalable architecture and a family of
aircraft. Our focus is on tackling the existing and growing sources of emissions head-on. We are committed to this challenge and believe that it is an essential step towards a sustainable future for aviation. Below is the description of our master plan to scale such technology. Given figures are indicative.

Step 1: Pioneering development, certification and bringing to market as soon as possible a first aircraft.

With our light business aircraft “One”, we are introducing a new paradigm of efficiency and comfort.
Accommodating up to 8 passengers and boasting a high performance, yet emission-free MW-class
powertrain, this aircraft is set to shake up the status quo. Planned to be certified under both EASA CS23
and FAA FAR23 regulations, it represents the future of light business aviation. This initial premium aircraft
will fund the development of larger platforms, via a sustained and scalable approach without compromising customer satisfaction.

Step 2: Mastering scale to enter the mass market with regional aviation.

Indeed, we won’t stop there! Based on the same architecture and foundational bricks, with a scaled
powertrain at about 5 MW, the next model will be designed to address the diverse needs of regional
aviation. With a seating capacity of about 70 passengers and a maximum takeoff weight of about 25 tons, it will be certified under both EASA CS25 and FAA FAR25 regulations, ready to take on the world of light airliners.
Step 3: Maximizing climate impact through consolidation of scale withcommercial aviation.
And finally, with those first two steps completed, we will be able to propose a game-changing aircraft model to address the obvious major challenge of emissions: commercial aviation. With a capacity of
about 150 passengers and a maximum takeoff weight of about 70 tons, this aircraft will deploy the same architecture and foundational bricks – but at a scaled level – of about 30 MW takeoff power, needed to
truly decarbonize air travel. Certified under both EASA CS25 and FAA FAR25 regulations, it will be the epitome of efficiency and innovation, built on top of architectural, certification and production
knowledge acquired with the first two aircraft.

Long term target: In 2050, a high-tech hydrogen-electric fleet deployed, contributing to the reduction of hundreds of Mt of CO2 emissions.
At Beyond Aero, we are driven by a singular goal: make aviation electric. Not a fantasy, it is what is required at scale to comply with an emissions reduction scenario compatible with a 2°C trajectory (with in the same time the right scaling of drop-in solutions for existing aircraft and a sober approach of air travel). In addition to this focus on electrification, we will ensure these products are highly connected aircraft, in order to harness the power of digital technology to optimize fleet management, streamline maintenance, fasten and ease pilot operations, and unleash passenger experiences. Join us on this journey, as we forge a new era of aviation, where technology, efficiency and comfort converge.
To illustrate in terms of emissions and market point of view, we can draw the following graph, representing emissions vs performance, being described as a combination of Payload, Range and Speed.

We clearly identify General Aviation (instructional, training, pleasure or aerobatic flights and aerial work), which could be covered by battery-electric aircraft in development. We also identify the 3 main markets of aviation:
Business Aviation, Regional Aviation and Commercial Aviation:

Models are describing that such architecture developed for a Business Aircraft but scaled to Regional
Aircraft (70-seater) and a Commercial Aircraft (150-seater) could cover significant shares of current
missions served by fossil fuel powered aircraft. This would be the result of a direct scale (x5 and x30) of the currently developed architecture. LH2 tanks with an intercooler linked in the thermal management system wouldn’t be an option here, but such designs are in the direct continuity of the one presented above. Similar avionics, airframe, thermal management, fan, doors, gears… but different cabin layouts to ensure the best efficiency when it comes to passenger density. Such aircraft would tackle some of the most emissionsintensive markets for aviation: Regional Aviation (3% of emissions27) and short-range commercial flights (24% of emissions28). Aviation will be electric. Hydrogen-electric.
Source: Beyond Aerospace