Maeve Aerospace collapses after SkyWest-backed hybrid aircraft program stalls

Dutch aircraft developer Maeve Aerospace has collapsed, ending an ambitious effort to bring a hybrid-electric regional aircraft to the market. 

Maeve Aerospace and its parent company, Green Transition Alliance, were declared bankrupt in the Netherlands on May 28, 2026. Dutch insolvency specialist Karlijn van Vliet of Cees Advocaten has been appointed as trustee. 

The company had been developing the Maeve Jet, a proposed hybrid-electric regional aircraft with twin rear-mounted open-rotor engines. The aircraft was the latest version of a program that had changed direction several times since the company first emerged in 2022. 

The reason for the bankruptcy has not been formally disclosed. Dutch business newspaper Financieele Dagblad previously reported that Maeve had been trying to raise €20 million, or about $23 million, to fund the next stage of the program. 

Maeve had drawn interest from several airlines, including Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines and SkyWest Airlines. 

SkyWest announced in September 2025 that it had made a strategic equity investment in Maeve and secured exclusive launch customer rights for the Maeve Jet. The US regional airline said at the time that it would provide operational, performance and design input during the aircraft’s development. 

Maeve’s collapse leaves uncertainty around what becomes of the aircraft program and the company’s German subsidiary, Maeve Aerospace GmbH, which was based at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport near Munich. 

The company began as Venturi Aviation with a proposed 44-seat all-electric aircraft called the Echelon 01. That aircraft was intended to fly routes of up to 300 nautical miles and enter service around 2030. 

The design later became the Maeve 01, then shifted to the 80-seat M80 with a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The final concept, the Maeve Jet, moved further away from the original all-electric aircraft and targeted entry into service in 2033. 

Maeve had assembled a group of industry partners that included Pratt & Whitney Canada, Collins Aerospace and MHI RJ Aviation Group. The post Maeve Aerospace collapses after SkyWest-backed hybrid aircraft program stalls appeared first on AeroTime.

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