MD Aircraft Seeks Series A Funding for Electric Regional Airliner

MD Aircraft is pressing to close a Series A funding round to advance work on its 10-seat MDA1 eViator electric regional airliner. If the German start-up can secure €5 million ($5.8 million) in fresh capital, it will unlock a further €13.3 million in government funding to support work needed to achieve a first flight with a technology demonstrator in 2028.

Over the past 12 months, MD Aircraft has had to explore new options for its powertrain after its original partner, Rolls-Royce, closed its electric propulsion business unit. The company’s lead development engineer, Erick Vianello, said it hopes to name new partners once the Series A round is complete, having learned lessons from being dependent on one supplier for such a key system.

With the preliminary design review having met all weight and balance targets, MD’s engineering team is now working on the detailed design. The company is now producing molds for the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer in its expanding facilities at Mariensiel Airport (EDWI) in northern Germany, where it intends to conduct flight testing.

Interchangeable Power Bay

The MDA1 airplane has a projected range of up to 400 kilometers (216 nm) with its standard battery electric propulsion system. The design features an interchangeable “power bay” for changing out batteries, and that could potentially be adapted for a future hydrogen-electric or hybrid powertrain configuration.

MD Aircraft is now reporting provisional orders for 90 MDA1s under letters of intent signed with several existing and new airlines. These include Evia Aero, Inselflieger FLN, and Ostfrisischer Flugdienst in Germany and Ireland’s Aer Arann. The manufacturer anticipates high demand for single-pilot cargo and utility applications, including emergency medical support. 

Evia Aero has plans to launch regional air services from a hub at Kassel to cities including Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, Groningen, Muenster, Antwerp, Basel, and Salzburg. It has previously considered other electric aircraft being developed by now-defunct companies, including Cranfield Aerospace and Eviation.

Vianello told AIN that if it can complete the Series A funding round in 2025, it still expects to fly a conforming prototype in 2030. In October, Piper Deutschland agreed to make an undisclosed strategic investment in MD. The general aviation manufacturer’s German subsidiary has committed to providing the start-up with support in areas such as parts supply, certification, industrialization, training, and customer support.