Maeve switches focus to 80-seater aircraft

Maeve Aerospace is now developing an 80-seat hybrid-electric aircraft, switching focus from the previously announced 44-seat Maeve 01. 

Given the name M80, the aircraft will have a range of 800nm at a cruise speed of 400 ktas (740mph), 40% higher energy efficiency compared with its predecessor and “no impact on infrastructure”, according to developers. The M80 is being developed to support the future regional aviation market. 

Martin Nuesseler, CTO of Maeve Aerospace: “To my knowledge, there are currently no alternatives in development that are equally sustainable, cost effective, and match the operational needs of airlines and airports. If there are, I would applaud them, because we need more of these realistic solutions to become sustainable”.

Maeve is also expanding to Oberpfaffenhofen Airport near Munich, Germany to speed up work on the M80 programme. The firm intends to have the aircraft flying in service by 2031. This is why several aviation experts have joined Maeve in this next development phase. These experts will be based at Maeve’s new location at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport.

“Maeve has optimised the aircraft concept, to attain best-in-class specifications with regards to passenger capacity, range, lead time and energy needed for implementation,” added Nuesseler.

Maeve first unveiled its 44-seat Maeve 01 in June last year at the Berlin Airshow following the closure of its seed investment round in summer 2021. The firm was launched in September 2020 by co-founders Jan Willem Heinen and Joost Dieben. Speaking at the time, Heinen said: “Electric flying does not emit any CO2 or NOx, reduces noise pollution by -40% and is ultimately cheaper to operate. In addition, the rate of advancements in battery technology is an area that we feel that we can start capitalising on very soon.”