Beyond Aero targets year-end funding close as BYA-1 pre-orders exceed 203 aircraft

Hydrogen-powered business aircraft developer Beyond Aero is targeting the close of its latest funding round by year-end, FlightGlobal reported. The company has raised approximately $50 million to date and is working to bring its BYA-1 aircraft to market in the 2030s.

Co-founder and chief executive Eloa Guillotin told FlightGlobal that "closing the funding round is the main target" for the remainder of the year, though she did not disclose the figure being sought. She acknowledged challenges in the market for obtaining finance but said "the need is still there" for an aircraft like the fuel cell-powered BYA-1.

Beyond has taken pre-orders for approximately 203 aircraft, valued at a little over €2 billion ($2.2 billion). Some, though not all, of these commitments are backed by refundable deposits, which will become non-refundable as the programme progresses. Guillotin noted that certain customers, typically those managing family offices, have also become investors in Beyond. "That's quite unique and one of the reasons that Beyond has been going so well – we don't rely only on venture capital or corporate investment," she said.

Development progress and specifications

Beyond completed the preliminary design review for the BYA-1 in March 2026. The milestone followed extensive windtunnel evaluations and ground tests of a 400kW fuel cell stack supplied by EKPO, six of which will feature in the production aircraft.

The company unveiled a redesigned BYA-1 configuration at the preliminary design review, replacing the electric ducted fans seen on previous iterations with pusher-configured propfans. Maximum take-off weight was increased to 9.6 tonnes, pushing the aircraft into the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-25 certification category.

In total, the BYA-1 will have 2.4MW of installed power – 1.2MW for each powertrain. Guillotin declined to disclose the output from each electric motor or name the supplier, citing commercial confidentiality concerns. FlightGlobal notes that Beyond previously said the motors were in the 1MW range.

Guillotin did not confirm when the first BYA-1 prototype might fly, though a 2029 target had been mentioned previously. Service entry is likely to be "in the early 2030s", she told FlightGlobal, adding: "But I will never give any firm date as long as it is not 100% sure."