Ascendance and Airbus Partner to Accelerate
Aviation Decarbonization with Hybrid-Electric Technology
Ascendance, a pioneer in hybrid-electric solutions for aviation since 2018, and Airbus, the world’s leading aerospace company, have announced a strategic partnership to jointly explore innovative hybrid-electric technologies. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to delivering practical, low-carbon propulsion solutions and advancing the decarbonization of the aviation sector.
Combining Industrial Scale and Deep Tech Agility
Through this partnership, Ascendance brings its expertise in designing modular, certifiable hybrid-electric systems, while Airbus contributes its industrial scale and global experience as a leader in aviation transformation. By combining the strengths of an established aircraft manufacturer with a fast-moving technology innovator, the partnership aims to develop hybrid-electric systems that reduce aviation emissions and meet the industry’s rigorous certification standards.
“This partnership with Airbus validates our vision: delivering practical, realistic technology that meets the demands of modern aviation. It marks a new milestone in our commitment to making cleaner, more accessible air travel a reality,” said Jean-Christophe Lambert, CEO and co-founder of Ascendance.
“Ascendance embodies an innovative and pragmatic approach. Their ability to turn disruptive concepts into certifiable, real-world solutions is a real asset for accelerating aviation’s energy transition. This partnership aligns with our decarbonization roadmap and reflects our ambition to invent the future of flight,” said Karim Mokaddem, Head of Aircraft of Tomorrow Technologies at Airbus.
About Ascendance
Founded in 2018 by Jean-Christophe Lambert, Thibault Baldivia, Clément Dinel and Benoît Ferran, Ascendance is an industrial startup with a mission to decarbonize aviation. Founded in 2020 in the heart of Toulouse, the European aeronautics capital, it develops and commercializes two solutions: an innovative hybrid-electric propulsion system called STERNA and a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft equipped with this technology called ATEA.
