KLM and Transavia power up plans to launch electric aviation
KLM and Transavia have teamed up with Dutch electric aircraft developer Elysian in a move to help bring battery-powered air travel to market.
Through a new series of joint workshops, the three companies aim to accelerate the technical and commercial rollout of electric aviation by feeding real-world airline experience into the development of Elysian’s 90-seat, 800-kilometre-range E9X aircraft.
The collaboration is designed to tackle one of the biggest hurdles in aviation’s sustainability transition: turning the cutting-edge technology into a viable, scalable product that airlines can actually operate.
The collaboration focuses on the shared goal of making emission-free regional flying a commercial reality, through joint workshops and technical exchanges to refine the E9X.
Not only flyable but viable
According to Elysian, a purely technical breakthrough isn’t enough. Its leadership argues that commercial operators and airport experts must be involved early to ensure the aircraft is not only flyable but viable in a real-world network.
“It’s impossible to build an aircraft that truly breaks from industry conventions without intensive collaboration with operators and airports,” said Daniel Rosen Jacobson, co-CEO of Elysian.
“This collaboration yields crucial insights – from technical requirements to passenger experience and network integration – helping us determine which destinations are operationally and economically viable.
“It’s eye-opening that we can often operate more sustainably and cost-effectively than trains, and that busy routes like Amsterdam–London prove entirely feasible with electric flight.”
Oliver Newton, lead for sustainability and innovation at Transavia, added: “Electrification represents a promising direction we firmly believe in. Through this collaboration, we can take concrete steps toward sustainable air transport, while maintaining our focus on commercial and operational feasibility.
“Connecting technical innovations with customer experience, network, and costs presents a challenge – but we’re fully committed to this effort.”
While some ideas, like flight crew managing battery swaps, were quickly ruled out in the workshops, new commercial opportunities emerged.
Electric aircraft could serve smaller cities where existing demand can’t support larger jets, opening up markets previously considered uneconomical.
KLM is also contributing its experience as the industry begins to explore future fuels and propulsion methods.
Jolanda Stevens, Zero Emission Aviation Program Manager at KLM, has been advising Elysian since 2024 and says the airline sees real value in influencing aircraft development from the inside.
“By gaining a deeper understanding of the aircraft’s design and operations, we can contribute our expertise to shape the final product. Moreover, this collaboration enables us to envision how our sector can transform,” she said.
“Pilots understand better than anyone what works and doesn’t work in an aircraft. For instance, having two different energy sources onboard requires an entirely new approach to energy management for the crew. This must be incorporated into the design.”
