Maeve Aerospace and the EIC Accelerator: A Plane That Never Flew

Maeve Aerospace, a start-up in Delft, set out to build a regional airliner with electric propulsion. It won an EIC Accelerator award for the "Maeve 01 - an All-electric Commuter Aircraft". By the time the project was reported on CORDIS, its title had become "M80 - an hybrid-electric regional commercial aviation Aircraft": an 80-seat plane with a range of up to 1,482 km, aimed at entering service in 2031, which Maeve described as "the world's first hybrid-electric aircraft for the commercial aviation market".

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,000 towards a €3.57 million project from January 2023 to December 2024. The final report gives one sentence on the work: "Our main goal in this project is to progress the R&D for the specific technologies needed for developing a hybrid electric aircraft. This relates to the battery system, scaled powertrain, and wings." It reports no results. On 28 May 2026 a Dutch court declared Maeve Aerospace and its parent, Green Transition Alliance, bankrupt, and appointed Karlijn van Vliet of Cees Advocaten as trustee, AeroTime reported. The company had been trying to raise €20 million to fund the next stage, according to the Financieele Dagblad.

Where Maeve Stands Now

Maeve is in bankruptcy. Its last design, the Maeve Jet, was a hybrid-electric regional aircraft with two rear-mounted open-rotor engines, aimed at service entry in 2033. The formal reason for the bankruptcy has not been disclosed, and what happens to the programme and the German subsidiary is unclear, AeroTime reported. The company's website still presents the Maeve Jet.

The Plan: Electric Power for Regional Routes

The company began as Venturi Aviation with the Echelon 01, a 44-seat all-electric aircraft for routes of up to 300 nautical miles. That became the Maeve 01 of the EIC award, then the 80-seat M80 hybrid, and finally the Maeve Jet, each step moving further from the original all-electric idea, AeroTime noted. The EIC application cited Denmark's and Sweden's target of fossil-free domestic flights by 2030.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The award was for an all-electric commuter aircraft; the project ran on a different, hybrid aircraft. The report names work areas, batteries, powertrain and wings, but documents no tests, prototypes or milestones. Whether the EIC approved the change of aircraft, and what the €2.5 million produced, cannot be checked from the public record. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. All-electric commuter aircraftDroppedSwitched to hybrid.
2. Battery, powertrain, wing R&DUnverifiedNo results reported.
3. Industry partnersDeliveredP&WC, Collins, SkyWest.
4. Company survivalMissedBankrupt, May 2026.

The Money

SkyWest Airlines made an undisclosed strategic equity investment in September 2025 and took exclusive launch customer rights. Maeve's other private funding, its spending, and whether the EIC Fund invested under the blended award are not public. The €20 million it sought, eight times the EIC grant, did not materialise.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

A new aircraft typically takes 8 to 10 years to develop, the report itself says. Maeve had attracted engine makers and airlines, but not the capital to keep going. The EIC placed a €2.5 million bet on a programme whose design kept changing, and its public record says almost nothing about what that money achieved.

The Verdict

Maeve Aerospace's trustee and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.