German Partnership Builds Green Regional Aircraft

German aerospace firms have teamed up to develop a German-made green regional aircraft to cut short-haul emissions.

The new partnership will design and deploy a next-generation green regional aircraft aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of short-haul flights across Europe. Backed by leading German aerospace companies, the initiative combines low-emission propulsion research with regional aircraft design expertise to accelerate sustainable aviation technology.

Engine and propulsion options under study include hybrid-electric systems and other low-emission solutions paired with regional airframe concepts. The partners say the project will prioritise practical retrofittable solutions for the short-haul market rather than speculative prototypes, aiming to make lower-carbon flights accessible for airlines and passengers.

Plans for the green regional aircraft

The consortium has outlined a staged development path: concept validation, ground testing, flight demonstrators, and then certification. While no exact launch date was published, the group is targeting first flight and certification milestones in the late 2020s to align with European climate goals. The programme will also examine infrastructure needs, such as hydrogen refuelling or electric charging at regional airports.

Partners: multiple German aerospace firms, research centres and suppliers focused on the green regional aircraft.
Primary goal: lower CO2 and NOx per seat on short-haul routes.
Timeline: concept and testing through the mid-2020s, demonstrators and certification steps into the late 2020s.

The project is positioned to help the European Union meet aviation climate targets by offering a scalable regional solution. Short-haul flights represent a substantial share of intra-European emissions; the consortium believes technology tailored to regional aircraft — rather than only large airliners — is critical to decarbonising the sector.

Industry observers note that regional aircraft upgrades can deliver meaningful per-flight reductions and provide a testing ground for technologies that could later scale to larger aircraft. The partners say they will publish technical milestones and partner lists as the programme progresses.