Dutch startup Elysian tests scaled electric aircraft, Targets 90-Passenger flights by 2034

E9X demonstrator completes first test flights; supporting ecosystem for pilot training and charging infrastructure takes shape across Europe.

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Dutch startup Elysian Aircraft has completed the first test flights of a scaled demonstrator for its E9X, a battery-powered aircraft designed to carry 90 passengers up to 1,000 kilometres. The company aims to bring the aircraft into commercial service by 2034, claiming the design could eliminate emissions from half the world's flights. The push for electric aviation is being supported by parallel ventures in pilot training and charging infrastructure in the Netherlands and beyond.

Elysian Aircraft, a young Dutch startup operating out of a laboratory beside Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, has begun test flights of a scaled demonstrator of its E9X aircraft. The company's co-founder, Daniel Jacobson, told Euronews that the design is largely finalised: it will feature six engines, folding wingtips to fit existing airport gates, and a wingspan of more than 50 metres.

The most distinctive feature is the integration of battery packs directly into the wing structure. The aircraft will carry around 40 battery packs across the wing, each weighing roughly 1,000 kilograms. Jacobson acknowledged the weight challenge, describing the plane as "an obese plane" and noting the constant effort to reduce weight through materials and thermal management.

The E9X is expected to initially have a range of 800 kilometres, extendable to 1,000 kilometres, and carry 90 passengers. According to Jacobson, this capability would allow zero-emission travel on roughly half the world's flight routes, reducing total aerospace emissions by an estimated 20 per cent. He added that the company had disproven a longstanding consensus in academia and industry that large-scale electric flight was unachievable.

At Teuge Airport in the Netherlands, the E-Flight Academy is already training pilots on smaller electric aircraft. Co-founder Merlijn van Vliet demonstrated a two-seater equipped with 22 kilowatt-hours of battery capacity, capable of flying for 45 to 50 minutes. He noted the low noise footprint allows flights over populated areas without disturbance. Van Vliet predicted that within a decade, electric aircraft carrying 40 to 60 passengers would be common.

NRG2fly, founded by electric-vehicle charging entrepreneur Jurjen de Jong, is developing a European charging infrastructure for electric aircraft. The plan is to expand from the Netherlands to the Nordic countries, France, Germany and Switzerland. De Jong envisions an "inter-net of energy" where airport solar panels, electric car batteries, and stationary storage form a local energy hub. Teuge Airport is testing the concept with 500 rooftop solar panels and on-site battery storage.

Jacobson urged the European Union to increase funding for startups and innovation to maintain a competitive advantage over the United States and China in the race to define the future of aviation.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Aviation accounts for a significant share of global emissions per passenger. A commercially viable electric aircraft could radically reshape the carbon footprint of regional travel.
The project tests whether battery technology can overcome fundamental energy-density limits for large aircraft, setting a benchmark for the industry.
Success or failure will steer public and private investment in aviation decarbonisation.

Background

Regional flights under 1,000 kilometres generate a large share of aviation emissions but have been largely overlooked by designs focused on small air taxis. Industry consensus long held that batteries were too heavy for a useful airliner. Elysian's concept challenges this by integrating massive battery packs into the wings and treating the aircraft's weight as a design constraint to be actively managed. The company operates alongside a growing ecosystem of electric aviation and charging firms in the Netherlands.

Key Perspectives

Elysian Aircraft: The company says its integrated wing-battery design and iterative weight management have cleared the main technical hurdles. It projects entry into service by 2034 with a 90-passenger aircraft that could cover half of the world's flight routes. NRG2fly and E-Flight Academy: These parallel ventures argue that the necessary infrastructure and trained workforce can be rolled out in time. They see electrification as a system spanning solar generation, battery storage, charging points and pilot training. Critics and Skeptics: The article itself notes that the E9X is an "obese plane". Battery energy density, the cost of replacing aerospace-grade batteries, certification timelines, and competition from hydrogen-electric concepts all remain unresolved challenges to the 2034 target and the 1,000-kilometre range.

What to Watch

Flight test data from the scaled demonstrator and whether it confirms the power consumption models for the full-scale aircraft.
Engagement with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on a certification pathway.
The timing and size of Elysian's next funding round as a signal of investor confidence.
Progress by competing hydrogen-electric aircraft projects (such as the Airbus ZEROe) targeting similar regional routes.

Sources

E9X: The battery-powered plane with 90 passengers on board and a range of 1,000 kilometres · Euronews

Checked

8 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 2 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedThe E9X demonstrator has completed its first test flights.Euronews: “The pilots are carrying out the first test flights for the scaled E9X demonstrator.”
Partly supportedElysian targets 90-passenger flights by 2034.Euronews: “The E9X is due to be operational by 2034.”
Partly supportedElysian aims to bring the aircraft into commercial service by 2034.Euronews: “The E9X is due to be operational by 2034.”
Partly supportedElysian’s design could eliminate emissions from half the world’s flight routes and reduce total aerospace emissions by an estimated 20 per cent.Euronews: ““By being able to transport 90 passengers for initially 800 kilometres and eventually 1000 kilometres you can reduce emissions to zero, from half the world’s flights” ... “And you reduce total emissions from aerospace by 20%.””
Partly supportedThe electric-aviation ecosystem is taking shape across Europe through pilot training and charging infrastructure.Euronews: “The E-Flight Academy trains pilots from several airlines in an environmentally friendly way at a low altitude.”
Partly supportedVan Vliet predicted that electric aircraft carrying 40 to 60 passengers would be common within a decade.Euronews: ““In ten years, this will grow big and we will fly electric with 40 or 60 passengers — or even more.””
SupportedJacobson described the aircraft as “an obese plane.”Euronews: ““Yes, we are an obese plane”, the Elysian manager admits.”
SupportedThe E9X is designed to carry 90 passengers up to 1,000 kilometres.Euronews: ““By being able to transport 90 passengers for initially 800 kilometres and eventually 1000 kilometres””