VÆRIDION raises €30M to build its electric Microliner aircraft

A battery-electric aircraft for short routes

The Microliner runs entirely on battery-powered electric propulsion and is designed to fly up to 400 km, carrying either passengers or cargo. VÆRIDION was founded in 2021 by two former Airbus managers, Ivor van Dartel and Dr Sebastian Seemann. The company says it wants to do for regional aviation what electric cars have done for road transport: replace fossil-fuelled vehicles with battery-powered ones.

According to the startup, the patented aircraft is quieter than conventional planes, which makes it suitable for smaller airfields and for underserved areas. It starts as a nine-seater, with plans to scale the technology to pan-European flights. VÆRIDION is targeting 2030 for entry into commercial service.

From design to hardware

CEO Ivor van Dartel said the team has turned the Microliner "from a validated design into hardware, with exceptional capital efficiency" over the past year. Propulsion and battery technology is now being tested at the company's own facility in Oberpfaffenhofen. He said the equity round will allow the company to build its first conforming aircraft.

VÆRIDION also said it has been selected by the EU for a €94.5 million Innovation Fund grant, intended to support development of the Microliner and its manufacture at industrial scale.

For regional connectivity, the combination of fresh equity and public grant funding gives the company a financial base for the move from testing to a flight-ready aircraft, though commercial service is still several years away.