Deeptech
Q1 202428.03.2024

Aviation Tech

Picture of Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly

at Sifted

Renewable jet fuels. Hydrogen power. Air taxis. All frontiers in the future of aerial tech.

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), made from waste oils and agricultural feedstock, will be the main — or perhaps sole — pathway for large jets to hit their carbon neutrality targets by 2050. SAF’s key advantage is it can be used straight away, with no adaptations needed for planes or associated infrastructure at airports. That said, it’s 2-5x more expensive than regular aviation fuel, so using more of it could mean higher air fares.

Startups are tinkering with other technologies that should be able to take a bite out of the industry’s carbon footprint — if the big technical challenges can be overcome. Batteries are doing a great job of replacing fossil fuels in cars but — with planes, things are much harder.; Simplysimply put, batteries are heavy and planes need to be light. Hydrogen also has promise as a jet fuel, but it needs time to mature — possibly decades.

Down on the ground, airports are getting ready for the future. Paris’ Charles de Gaulle is mapping flight paths for the cargo and passenger drones that are expected to someday whizz around terminals. In the Netherlands, Eindhoven airport is using AI to improve aircraft turnaround times, while Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is hiring robots to help handle passenger luggage.

Meanwhile, flying taxis are hovering in the near distance but they’ll initially be a luxury or premium service, so we probably won’t get to ride in them for a while. The best plan is to snap up the affordable Ryanair seats now, as it seems likely that we’ll be paying more for our flights in 2050.

20 most promising early-stage startups

  • Manna Drone Delivery logo

    Sifted score

    9.43
    -

    Manna Drone Delivery

    Drone delivery for efficient service.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2019

    • HQ

      Dublin, Ireland

    • Latest round

      Early VC
      €22.7m / Mar 2023

    • Total funding

      €27.4m

    View company profile
  • Destinus logo

    Sifted score

    9.11
    -

    Destinus

    Hydrogen-powered hypersonic airplane for efficient global travel.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2021

    • HQ

      Payerne, Switzerland

    • Latest round

      Grant
      €26.7m / Apr 2023

    • Total funding

      €53.1m

    View company profile
  • Ascendance Flight Technologies logo

    Sifted score

    8.11
    -

    Ascendance Flight Technologies

    Cleaner, sustainable aviation through electrification.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2018

    • HQ

      Toulouse, France

    • Latest round

      Early VC
      €21m / Mar 2023

    • Total funding

      €31m

    View company profile
  • Beyond Aero logo

    Sifted score

    8.03
    -

    Beyond Aero

    Hydrogen-powered electric aircraft for business.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2020

    • HQ

      Toulouse, France

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €10m / May 2022

    • Total funding

      €24m

    View company profile
  • Maeve Aerospace BV logo

    Sifted score

    7.36
    -

    Maeve Aerospace BV

    Maeve Aerospace is developing the next generation of regional aircraft, featuring 42% less fuel & CO2, at 25% lower cost-to-operate.

    • Strong investor(s)
    • Serial founder(s)
    • Hiring

    • Year founded

      2020

    • HQ

      Delft, Netherlands

    • Latest round

      Seed
      €5m / Jun 2023

    • Total funding

      €10m

    View company profile

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