The future Elixir Aircraft Factory 4.0 will manufacture aircraft for training purposes from 2025, eventually recruiting more than 1,000 employees in La Rochelle.

At the occasion of the Paris Air Show currently taking place at Le Bourget, Elixir Aircraft, manufacturer of low-carbon aircraft, Aire Nouvelle, Equans France’s low-carbon real estate development subsidiary, and its partners, announce the signing of a design contract for the construction of a new factory. Spanning 14,000 m², this highly energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly industrial site will house all production and assembly activities for the Elixir aircraft.

Faced with a growing demand for carbon-free training aircraft, Elixir Aircraft is contributing to the reindustrialization of France by investing heavily in the Rochelais region. Elixir Aircraft will significantly increase its production capacity, thanks to a brand-new 4.0 factory with exemplary environmental ambitions, to reach a rate of over 300 aircraft per year.

“The training aviation market has reached a turning point. Produced in the 60s and 70s, the current fleet needs to be replaced. There is an urgent need to renew these ageing aircraft to enable schools to improve their profitability while meeting the climate and industrial challenge. With this new 4.0 factory, Elixir Aircraft is giving itself the means to become one of the world’s leaders in general aviation, while at the same time decarbonizing the sector. The Elixir is a high-performance, fuel-efficient and versatile aircraft, which will enable it to be compatible with SAF, and then hydrogen in a second phase,” explains Cyril Champenois, co-founder and marketing director of Elixir Aircraft.

The future plant will house the production of OneShot carbon aerostructures for the Elixir, Elixir Aircraft’s ultra-frugal two-seater, as well as final assembly. From the overall design of the plant to the submission of the building permit, including financial backing and process engineering, the Aire Nouvelle teams are committed to work alongside ElixirAircraft to ensure the success of the project. They can count on the complementary expertise of Equans, a world leader in the energy and services sector, to achieve a high level of industrial performance, thanks in particular to the recovery of waste heat and the optimization of the production chain alongside Elixir Aircraft. Energy and environmental efficiency is further enhanced by the installation of photovoltaic panels, the use of hydrogen, the use of bio-sourced materials and measures to protect biodiversity based on the Aire Nouvelle compass methodology.

This model plant will be equipped with the latest technological advances, including autoclaves, digital cutting machines, laser fiber placement equipment… all controlled entirely digitally by flow optimization software. Elixir Aircraft has set itself the ambitious goal of eventually producing over 300 aircraft a year. To meet demand, the plant is expected to employ over a thousand people by 2033. All will benefit from soft mobility support to further improve their environmental footprint.

“In addition to the performance of our buildings and production facilities, we need to capitalize on the talents of today and develop those of tomorrow,” adds Marine Gaudin, Director of Human Resources at Elixir Aircraft. “Producing a light aircraft is teamwork, a real human adventure. It’s the alchemy of our employees that enables us to design, certify and produce. Successfully transforming aviation is a passion shared by all our teams. It’s the soul of Elixir Aircraft. By enabling our employees to flourish in a new factory designed for their comfort in an incredible living environment like La Rochelle, we are strengthening our attractiveness to be able to meet our customers’ demand.”

Elixir Aircraft currently has over forty positions open in La Rochelle, ranging from composite operators to methods technicians and structural engineers. Recruitment is open to all levels of training, including those with no qualifications, up to master’s degree level and above.

“We are proud to support the project for this factory of the future. The Elixir AircraftFactory is now entering a new phase, with the aim of starting construction in the middle of next year and delivering the plant in 2025. The experts at Aire Nouvelle and the Equans entities and their partners are delighted to be taking action for the reindustrialization and growth of virtuous production, capable of meeting the challenges of industrial, energy and digital transition,” emphasizes Marc Daumas, Managing Director of Aire Nouvelle.

Arthur Leopold-Léger, President and co-founder of Elixir Aircraft, concludes: “ElixirAircraft is at a turning point, as we move from start-up to certified manufacturer. The announcements of the last few days show that, between mega-orders and Emmanuel Macron’s funding announcement, this future factory will definitely bring Elixir Aircraft into the big league.”

About Elixir Aircraft

Elixir Aircraft, a company headquartered in La Rochelle, France, with nearly 100 employees, was founded in 2015 to meet the challenges of global light aviation.

The French company’s objective: to manufacture safer, more economical and more versatile aircraft. Complexity is the reason why today’s aircraft suffer from failures (technical or human), and are costly to operate (fuel consumption and maintenance).

Elixir Aircraft uses a technology from the world of competitive sailing, the Carbon Oneshot, to simplify structures. More simplicity means fewer failures, so greater safety, but also less maintenance, and lower costs (estimates of €40/h fuel and maintenance).

At the end of 2021, Elixir Aircraft opened a new production site in Périgny, Charente Maritime, to internalize all carbon parts production.

Elixir Aircraft in Numbers

• 4th-generation two-seater aircraft EASA CS-23 certified since 2020
• 100 employees, including more than 70 new hires since the first quarter of 2021
• Two production sites in France, one of 2300m², the other of 2000m².
• +70 aircraft on firm order
• +140 aircraft on pre-order and letters of intent in the U.S. and Europe

About the Elixir Aircraft 100HP

The Elixir 100HP is the latest in safety, economy, and technology. Elixir Aircraft offers an aircraft that covers all the needs of a modern flight school while reducing carbon emissions by nearly 70% compared to other old generation aircraft. The standard flight training organization configuration includes a full Garmin avionics suite and are built to withstand the rigors of flight training. Standard safety equipment include: spin resistance; ballistic parachute, AoA indicator; double slotted electric flaps; explosion resistance fuel tank and Reinforced oleo-pneumatic landing gear and combined nose wheel, wide track and low center of gravity minimize bounced landings associated with loss of control accidents and runway excursions. The 912iS is powered by the low noise 100 hp Rotax offers with a fuel consumption of around three gallons per hour.

About Aire Nouvelle, a subsidiary of the Equans Group

Aire Nouvelle, Equans France’s low-carbon development and property development subsidiary, works in partnership with all the players in the city to create new urban models capable of meeting the challenges of the environmental transition. At a time when 50% of the carbon footprint of a new building or major refurbishment over 50 years comes from the technical and energy components, Aire Nouvelle is building on its relationship with Equans* to develop tailored, made-to-measure solutions. Thanks to its own methodology, the “AN compass”, based on 4 cardinal points (energy, mobility, materials and biodiversity), the Aire Nouvelle teams take into account the growing systemic complexity of urban environments by putting environmental excellence at the heart of ambitious property and urban projects, in the service of citizens’ quality of life.

About Equans France

Rooted in more than a century of history, Equans is the new world leader in the energy and services sector, with major ambitions in France, thanks in particular to Ineo and Axima. Its 35,000* employees in France work closely with their customers to meet the challenges of a triple transition: energy, industry and digital technology. Equans works to achieve low-carbon production, digitalise processes and strengthen the contributive economy. Electrical engineering, climate control, refrigeration, fire safety, IT and telecommunications, digital solutions: the complementary expertise of Equans is deployed in France through a unique combination of multi-technical skills for design, construction and installation projects as well as for operation and maintenance services. Equans connects, protects and supplies energy to territories, cities, buildings, plants and infrastructures. In 2022, Equans France had sales of more than 6** billion euros.

Source: Elixir Aircraft Press Release
Photo Credit: Elixir Aircraft