Elysian Aircraft, KLM and Transavia have launched a knowledge-sharing initiative to accelerate the development of battery-electric aviation. Through a series of joint workshops, the partners will explore the technological, operational and commercial needs for deploying electric aircraft such as Elysian's E9X. This marks a key step towards zero-emission air travel.
Elysian is developing the E9X, the first battery-electric aircraft designed to carry 90 passengers over a range of 800 kilometres. This technology offers cleaner, more efficient transport, particularly for shorter routes between regional airports around the world. According to Elysian, successful development depends on more than just technical innovation.
“It's impossible to build an aircraft that truly breaks from industry conventions without intensive collaboration with operators and airports,” says Daniel Rosen Jacobson, Co-CEO of Elysian. “This collaboration yields crucial insights—from technical requirements to passenger experience and network integration—helping us determine which destinations are operationally and economically viable. It's eye-opening that we can often operate more sustainably and cost-effectively than trains, and that busy routes like Amsterdam–London prove entirely feasible with electric flight.”
“Electrification represents a promising direction we firmly believe in. Through this collaboration, we can take concrete steps toward sustainable air transport. While maintaining our focus on commercial and operational feasibility,” says Oliver Newton, Lead Sustainability & Innovation at Transavia. “Connecting technical innovations with customer experience, network, and costs presents a challenge—but we're fully committed to this effort.”
In the coming months, the partners will continue working on concrete use cases, route analyses and passenger propositions. The joint ambition is not only to build a more sustainable aircraft but to design a complete ecosystem around it.
