Beyond Aero has reached Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6) for its hydrogen-electric propulsion system, marking an important milestone towards certification for the Toulouse-based developer. The achievement follows a full-scale test campaign at the company’s new integrated powertrain lab in southern France.
The TRL6 demonstration benefited from Beyond Aero’s acquisition of Universal Hydrogen’s intellectual property, flight test data, and assets. Valued at over $90 million, the portfolio included patents, turbocompressors, and engineering expertise that helped reinforce in-flight validation, the company said. Several key partners supported the testing campaign, including EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies with its NM20 stack, FEV Aerospace, BrightLoop Converters, AVL, and Dassault Systèmes. Airbus Protect contributed certification safety analysis and hazard assessments.
Beyond Aero is engaged with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under Pre-Application Services (PAC) for its BYA-1 hydrogen-electric business aircraft.
“With this pre-application contract, EASA establishes an early and structured engagement with Beyond Aero on hydrogen propulsion technology,” Gianluca Mele, EASA program manager, said in a statement.
Beyond Aero CEO Eloa Guillotin said the program’s TRL6 success reflects “18 months of relentless teamwork” and that the test places the company’s six-passenger, 800-nm aircraft on track toward market entry.
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