DOVETAIL ELECTRIC AVIATION SECURES FUNDING UNDER THE SCIENCE AND INNOVATION MISSIONS PROGRAM TO DEVELOP FIRST RETROFIT-READY ZERO EMISSION AIRCRAFT

May 8, 2025

Dovetail Electric Aviation has been awarded funding through the prestigious Spanish Science and Innovation Missions Program, managed by CDTI, a significant milestone in the journey toward decarbonizing regional aviation. This funding will support the development and integration of the first hydrogen-electric conversion of a CS-23 aircraft in the EU, ready for flight, including Dovetail’s proprietary battery and Electric Propulsion Systems, accelerating the transition to commercially viable, sustainable air travel.

A major step toward Zero-Emission Aviation
The Science and Innovation Missions Program aims to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including sustainable mobility and clean transportation.

In this framework, the Spanish aeronautical company Aciturri is leading the project ‘Sustainable hydrogen-electric propulsion technologies for next-generation aircraft’, in consortium with Dovetail Electric Aviation and ITP Aero as main partners, with the purpose of exploring technologies applicable in the aviation industry to enhance the efficiency of air transport.

Under this initiative, Dovetail Electric Aviation will receive a grant to fund a significant part of its €2.5M budget as part of a €5.6M collaborative project.

This project will bring to life a modular electric propulsion system, designed to be adaptable for different power sources. It will be capable of operating on battery electric power alone—leveraging Dovetail’s proprietary battery system (DovePack)— or combining it with a hydrogen fuel cell, extending range while maintaining zero emissions.

Advancing the future of sustainable flight
As part of this initiative, Dovetail and Aciturri will integrate and test the first commercial-scale retrofit ready electric powertrain for CS-23 aircraft (level 3 or higher). The technology developed by Dovetail is set to revolutionize regional aviation by providing aircraft operators with a scalable, cost-effective solution to transition their fleets to electric propulsion.

A strong European partnership driving innovation
David Doral, CEO of Dovetail Electric Aviation, added, “We are progressing further in our journey to realize a truly sustainable clean aviation sector, with technology that includes Dovetail’s patent pending battery pack and our proprietary Electric Propulsion System, integrating all of that with hydrogen fuel cells into a commercial airframe. CDTI’s Missions Program, that receives funding from the Next Generation EU funds, is giving us and excellent opportunity to advance in the development of these technologies, with a whole platform ready for flight and moving closer towards commercialization”

Dovetail’s airline shareholders—including Air Nostrum and Volotea in Europe, and Rex Airlines in Australia, —have already demonstrated strong interest in these sustainable solutions, positioning the company as a frontrunner in zero-emission regional aviation.