Beyond Aero Partners with Côte d'Azur Airports to Develop Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure for Business Jets
Why It MattersThe deal signals hydrogen ground infrastructure beginning to take shape alongside aircraft development, a prerequisite for any future hydrogen-electric business jet segment to become operationally viable.
Toulouse-based hydrogen-electric business jet start-up Beyond Aero has partnered with Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur to develop gaseous hydrogen refueling facilities at three airports on France's Mediterranean coast: Nice Côte d'Azur (LFMN), Cannes Mandelieu (LFMD), and Golfe de Saint-Tropez (LFTZ). The partners are evaluating fixed dispensers in dedicated parking areas as well as mobile refueling vehicles, with Cannes Mandelieu expected to be the first of the three to receive hydrogen refueling equipment.
The partnership was announced at a press conference in Nice, where Beyond Aero co-founder and CEO Eloa Guillotin said infrastructure readiness must advance at the same pace as aircraft development. The partners are considering producing hydrogen close to the airports and transporting it via tube trailers to on-airport dispensing stations, aiming to integrate the fuel supply into a broader regional hydrogen ecosystem.
Beyond Aero completed the preliminary design review for its eight-seat BYA-1 aircraft in March and is pursuing type certification under EASA's CS-25 rules, targeting deliveries in the early 2030s. The company switched from CS-23 to CS-25 rules to accommodate an increased maximum takeoff weight of 9.6 tonnes (21,164 pounds), primarily to improve single-engine-out performance, and also updated the design from ducted fan engines to a pair of tail-mounted pusher propfans due to certification complexity and cost.
Beyond Aero's 80-strong engineering team is now working toward a critical design review and first flight of a full-scale prototype, with additional funding rounds planned to bring the BYA-1 to market. The aircraft is designed to carry six passengers over a range of 800 nautical miles at a cruise speed of 300 knots, and the company expects it to be at least as economical to operate as turboprops such as the Pilatus PC-12 and Beechcraft King Air, projecting roughly half of sales to charter and aircraft management fleets and the rest split between high-net-worth individuals and corporate flight departments. Beyond Aero already holds infrastructure partnerships with Aéroports de Paris and Luxaviation.
