VÆRIDION has closed an EUR 30 million Series A2 round to build the first conforming prototype of its nine-passenger electric Microliner aircraft, reports the company. In parallel, VÆRIDION’s CAROLUS project has been selected by the European Commission for a EUR94.5 million Innovation Fund grant to support the establishment and ramp-up of a final assembly facility at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport.
“The equity round was led by SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, with participation from existing investors World Fund, Project A and Vsquared Ventures, alongside PAYBACK founder and deep-tech investor Alexander Rittweger, among others. Including this equity round and earlier public funding, VÆRIDION has raised approximately EUR60 million to date,” it reports.
The grant comes from the EU Innovation Fund and is in addition to the equity raised. CAROLUS was selected from 358 applications as one of only 12 large-scale projects. It’s the only aviation project, and VÆRIDION the only German company in this category, to be selected for this grant. The selection remains subject to completion of the grant agreement, expected to be signed in 2027.
Ivor van Dartel, Founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, said: “Over the past year, we have turned the Microliner from a validated design into hardware, with exceptional capital efficiency. Our propulsion and battery technology is now being tested at our own facility in Oberpfaffenhofen. This equity round enables us to build our first conforming aircraft. The Commission’s selection of CAROLUS supports the next step: establishing the industrial capability for Microliner production. Building out of Europe, our mission is to make regional flying commercially viable and accessible again, in Europe and for operators worldwide.”
VÆRIDION is targeting operating costs below EUR0.40 per seat-kilometre which would allow operators to offer fares at the level of a first-class rail ticket while running profitable regional services. “Germany alone has more airfields accessible to the Microliner than ICE high-speed rail stations,” said the company. “The Microliner therefore offers an economically resilient solution to restore direct connections where there are none today and enable new ones, including routes operated under Public Service Obligation contracts. The aircraft’s low noise could also enable night flights, subject to airport approval. The opportunity extends beyond replacing existing aircraft: McKinsey estimates that the global market for regional air mobility could reach up to USD115 billion by 2035.”
The Microliner targets 400 kilometres in range with nine passengers under Instrument Flight Rules, or up to 550 kilometres with four passengers under Visual Flight Rules and is planned in passenger and cargo versions. Developed to EASA CS-23 requirements, the aircraft has in the past 12 months completed its Preliminary Design Review and second Pre-Application Contract with EASA de-risking the certification approach for its novel technologies.
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