Stralis Aircraft’s European launch customer, EVIA AERO, expands its partnership for hydrogen-electric aircraft
- HYSKY Society
- Jan 14
- 6 min read
Brisbane, Australia / Bremen, Germany – 14 January 2026 – Stralis Aircraft (“Stralis”), a leading developer of high-performance hydrogen-electric propulsion systems and aircraft, today announced a second major commitment from EVIA AERO, strengthening their partnership to bring zero-emission regional aviation to Europe.
This new agreement represents the largest single-customer fleet of hydrogen-electric conversions to date, deepening EVIA AERO’s role as one of Stralis’ earliest and most significant European customers. EVIA AERO has committed to five Bonanza-A36-HE aircraft retrofits.
The EVIA AERO–Stralis partnership focuses on practical applications of hydrogen electric propulsion technology, expands the possibilities for island hopping in the Mediterranean and in the North and Baltic Seas, replaces fossil fuels, supports tourism and the regional economies of coastal and island destinations, and enables future routes to key leisure and business destinations such as Usedom and Helgoland in Germany or Sardinia in Italy.
Stralis is using two Bonanza-A36 aircraft as hydrogen-electric testbeds, aligned with its technology roadmap. The Bonanza platform, suitable for regional routes, will greatly benefit EVIA AERO and similar airlines worldwide. Their 200-kW hydrogen-electric demonstrator will also mark the first piloted hydrogen-electric flight in the Southern Hemisphere from Brisbane Airport.
The EVIA AERO vision is to implement a point-to-point network with multiple daily connections between European economic regions, operated entirely with aircraft powered by locally generated green electricity and hydrogen. Bonanza-A36 aircraft deliveries under this latest agreement are targeted to begin in 2029, aligning with the EVIA AERO rollout of decentralised
hydrogen and PV-based airport energy systems.
EVIA AERO was Stralis’ first European customer for their fleet of Beechcraft 1900D, a 19-seat regional hydrogen-electric aircraft. EVIA AERO plans to operate a sizable fleet of these aircraft on multiple regional routes across Europe, forming the backbone of its zero-emission network. This expanded partnership is a strong commercial signal that there is real, forward
demand for hydrogen-electric aircraft in Europe’s regional markets.
“This partnership is particularly exciting because, beyond aircraft operations, EVIA AERO is building the energy and infrastructure ecosystem needed to make hydrogen-electric flight a reality,” said Bob Criner, CEO and Co-Founder of Stralis.“Similar to our program in Australia, their holistic approach aims to support a new regional aviation model where aircraft are powered by locally produced green energy, significantly reducing emissions and long-term operating costs.”
"Our fleet will be airborne with certified aircraft for our customers at the earliest possible time. To achieve this, the Bonanza A36 is the ideal product," said Florian Kruse, founder and CEO of EVIA AERO, adding, "The first routes of our regional airline will be island services and medical flights. For this, the Stralis product is perfectly suitable. Additionally, we can train our future pilots on this aircraft at an early stage."
For more information, please contact:
Bob Criner
+61 402 836 268
Noteworthy Facts
Largest single-customer fleet of conversions: This agreement represents the largest fleet of hydrogen-electric conversions secured from a single customer to date.
Future-proofing island connectivity: The aircraft will enable broadened operations to the islands of northern Germany, where Avgas is being phased out and banned as a fuel, ensuring essential air links remain viable and sustainable.
Certified next-generation propulsion: The commitment includes aircraft powered by Stralis’ first certified HEPS-240 system (2 x HE-120), a hydrogen-electric propulsion system that combines high efficiency with low operating costs.
First piloted hydrogen-electric flight in the Southern Hemisphere: The Bonanza A36 200 kW hydrogen-electric demonstrator will also be the first piloted hydrogen-electric flight in the Southern Hemisphere, operated from Stralis’ base at Brisbane Airport in Australia.
The only emission from Stralis’ hydrogen-electric propulsion is water: Hydrogen-electric propulsion offers a genuinely transformative pathway, with the only emission from a hydrogen-electric fuel cell powertrain being water vapour.
Zero-emission regional air connectivity across Europe: EVIA AERO is an innovative aviation company dedicated to establishing a point-to-point network with multiple daily connections between key European business regions, operated by electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft fuelled with locally produced green energy.
End-to-end value chain: The EVIA AERO business model spans the full sustainable aviation value chain—from decentralised, energy-autonomous power generation (solar and hydrogen) at partner airports to energy storage and flight operations.
Enabling airports to utilise green mobility to reduce costs: Through joint ventures and strategic partnerships, EVIA AERO enables airports to actively promote green mobility while also achieving significant reductions in energy costs. This holistic approach directly supports the transformation of the aviation sector toward climate-neutral operations.
Stralis Hydrogen-electric propulsion systems
Stralis’ high-temperature PEM fuel-cell technology is significantly lighter than existing alternatives, potentially enabling aircraft to fly ten times farther than battery-electric solutions at a lower cost than fossil-fuel-powered planes. The company is already testing its hydrogen-electric propulsion systems on the ground and plans to achieve the first flight of its six-seat technology
demonstrator aircraft later this year.
Hydrogen-electric propulsion systems have fewer moving parts and operate at lower temperatures compared to existing aircraft engines, which is predicted to reduce engine maintenance costs by between 40% and 60%. This is similar to the maintenance
cost reductions observed between combustion-engine and electric cars. The hydrogen stored on board in a tank powers a fuel cell that generates electricity, which drives an electric motor that turns a propeller. Hydrogen-electric propulsion systems can be used for aircraft battery replacement, retrofitting airframes, new clean-sheet designs, or even as auxiliary power units (APUs) onboard larger aircraft.
More information for editors
Global climate goals and international industry commitments require the aviation sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
This means that by the mid-2030s, the sector needs to be actively deploying zero-emission technologies and solutions. One solution that can genuinely reduce CO2 and non-CO2 emissions is hydrogen-electric propulsion. The only emission released
from a hydrogen-electric fuel cell powertrain is water.
ACI Europe (Airport Council International in Europe) aims to cut carbon emissions from European airports by 50% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, focusing on energy-efficient technologies. The organisation also works towards achieving carbon-neutral airport operations by 2030, supporting the wider aviation industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
Green hydrogen is produced through electrolysis of water using renewable electricity. Hydrogen’s energy density is three times that of kerosene and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and it is over 100 times that of batteries, with a relatively fast refuelling capability when using liquid hydrogen.
Hydrogen is therefore ideally suited for flight, offering improved payload range over all
other energy storage alternatives.
NASA has been using liquid hydrogen to power spacecraft for more than half a century, and powering aircraft with liquid hydrogen is not a new concept – the first successful flight took place in 1957. In the last five years, the aviation sector has turned to liquid hydrogen as a future fuel to reduce emissions, costs and noise.
Globally, most domestic aviation services could be operated using emerging battery-electric (short-range) and hydrogen-electric (medium-range) technologies, potentially reducing an estimated 50% of global air travel CO2 emissions from flights under 2200 km.
Considering both emissions reduction and aircraft performance in terms of range and power, hydrogen-electric aircraft present a credible alternative.
EVIA AERO
EVIA AERO is an innovative aviation company dedicated to establishing zero-emission regional flight connections across Europe. EVIA AERO’s business model covers the entire value chain of sustainable aviation: from decentralised, self-sufficient energy generation through photovoltaic and hydrogen facilities at partner airports, to energy storage and flight operations.
Through joint ventures and collaborations, airports are not only involved in promoting green mobility but also benefit from cost reductions in energy supply.
Through this holistic approach, EVIA AERO actively drives the necessary transformation of aviation towards climate-friendly mobility. The future-oriented start-up aims to implement a point-to-point route model with multiple daily connections between European economic regions. The flights will be operated by electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft, fuelled by locally generated
green energy.
For more information, please contact:
Florian Kruse
+49 1726654328
Stralis Aircraft
Stralis was founded on a singular idea—to be the world's leading emission-free aircraft company producing high-performance, low-operating cost, hydrogen-electric propulsion systems and aircraft at scale. The propulsion system incorporates their proprietary high-temperature next-generation fuel cell system that is six times lighter than the current state of the art. Their
hydrogen-electric aircraft will travel ten times farther than battery-electric alternatives and will be 50% cheaper to operate than fossil-fuel-powered aircraft. Stralis has letters of intent to buy the aircraft from 11 airlines across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the USA, and Europe.
For more information, please contact:
Bob Criner
+61 402 836 268
