APUS Zero Emission enters insolvency but remains bullish about upcoming first flight
March 10, 2025
Strausberg-based hydrogen aircraft developer APUS Zero Emission has been placed under provisional insolvency proceedings by the Local Court of Frankfurt, with insolvency law specialist PLUTA appointed as provisional administrator. However, with discussions to be held in the coming weeks with potential investors, APUS will maintain its business operations for the time being; including a focus on its aviation engineering offerings.
“To ensure the future of APUS Zero Emission and our groundbreaking hydrogen-electric aircraft, we have taken the difficult but necessary step of initiating insolvency proceedings,” wrote the company on 7 March. “This process will allow us to restructure strategically and focus on securing the right investor to continue our mission of transforming aviation”.
PLUTA attributed the EASA-certified design and production organisation’s fiscal difficulties to an increasingly challenging environment for clean aviation startups, clarifying: “The challenges of the past few months have highlighted the severe financial pressure on the market for emission-free aviation solutions”. Last month, Airbus confirmed it had suspended work on its ZEROe hydrogen airliner programme, while US-based regional hydrogen powertrain developer Universal Hydrogen ceased operations last year (despite raising over $100 million in total).
APUS Zero Emission confirmed it was still continuing with preparations towards the first flight of its four-seat APUS i-2 – something it describes as “the world’s first certifiable hydrogen-powered aircraft for daily use” – in Spring 2025. Last week, APUS conducted ‘windmilling’ tests on its prototype aircraft’s electric propulsion unit (sourced from motor supplier Emrax), while a late January visit from EASA personnel “marked one of the final steps before receiving EASA Flight Conditions Approval,” revealed APUS.
The four-seat APUS i-2 EASA CS-23 category aircraft (formally unveiled in September 2024) will employ hydrogen fuel cells as its primary means of energy, with APUS’ patented structurally integrated hydrogen storage system offering up to 25% higher specific energy density than standard hydrogen fuel tanks. This is the first time a structurally integrated hydrogen wing tank concept (replacing the standard wing spar) has been proposed, with APUS explaining that “the hydrogen tanks are designed to take up the external aerodynamic loads in addition to the pressure-induced internal loads”.
Its twin-engine, low-wing aircraft (with four hydrogen tanks integrated into each wing) is targeting a 160kts cruise speed and a 500nm range, with its fully composite airframe offering further efficiencies. Its planned list price was noted in September 2024 to be in the region of €1.1 million, lower than the twin-engine Diamond DA62’s estimated standard price of just under $1.5 m (€1.38 million).
“This is not the end. It’s the beginning of a new phase. The foundation for zero-emission aviation has been laid, and we are looking for the right partner to bring this vision to life,” concluded APUS. “Despite current economic challenges, zero-emission aviation is the future, and APUS is a key player in this transformation”.
