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Beyond Aero and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur prepare the arrival of the first hydrogen-electric business aircraft at Nice, Cannes Mandelieu and Golfe de Saint-Tropez

A partnership between Beyond Aero and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Europe’s second-largest airport operator for business aviation, to prepare the operational conditions needed to welcome the first hydrogen-electric business aircraft.

Three airports involved: Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and Golfe de Saint-Tropez, with Cannes Mandelieu identified as the most suitable site for initial implementation.

Entry into service targeted for the early 2030s, with Beyond Aero developing “One”, a six-to-eight-seat business aircraft powered by an electric propulsion system driven by hydrogen fuel cells.

A preferred scenario based on compressed gaseous hydrogen, with potential production close to the airports and refueling delivered either by a fixed remote fueling point or a mobile vehicle.

A collaboration launched nearly three years ago

Beyond Aero and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur have announced a partnership to prepare the operational conditions needed to welcome the first hydrogen-electric business aircraft at the Nice Côte d’Azur, Cannes Mandelieu and Golfe de Saint-Tropez airports. This announcement marks a new milestone in a collaboration launched nearly three years ago.

As Europe’s second-largest airport operator for business aviation, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur is working with Beyond Aero to define a phased strategy for deploying hydrogen infrastructure, designed to accommodate the anticipated ramp-up in operations starting in the early 2030s.

Preparing aircraft and infrastructure in tandem

Developing this new generation of aircraft requires simultaneous preparation of airport infrastructure. However, the initial requirements for business aviation will remain limited compared to those of commercial aviation. This allows for the planning of targeted, scalable facilities that are sized to match actual demand.

The work undertaken by Beyond Aero and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur covers scenarios for hydrogen sourcing, storage, distribution and refueling, as well as their technical, operational, regulatory and economic integration within the airport sites. Key objectives include defining the necessary capacities, identifying the most suitable locations, establishing the operational concept for refueling and estimating the scale of investment associated with various development scenarios.

“Infrastructure preparation must keep pace with aircraft development. Working with Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, we are basing our plans on concrete scenarios tailored to business aircraft volumes and utilizing currently available technologies. This phased approach is essential to ensure safe, realistic operations from the moment the first aircraft enter service,” says Eloa Guillotin, co-founder and CEO of Beyond Aero.

Gaseous hydrogen: a pragmatic first step

he currently preferred scenario relies on the use of compressed gaseous hydrogen. This solution aligns with the architecture developed by Beyond Aero and leverages technologies that are already available and ready for industrial-scale production. Hydrogen could be produced off-site — near the airports — and then transported via tube trailers to a distribution station located at the airport. Such local production could also supply other regional needs, helping to pool requirements and foster the emergence of a local hydrogen ecosystem.

Two refueling solutions are being studied: a fixed, remote fueling point installed near a parking area dedicated to hydrogen aircraft, and a mobile vehicle to transfer hydrogen between the distribution station and the aircraft. These setups would help limit initial investment costs while allowing capacity to be scaled gradually in line with the growing number of aircraft and operational frequency.

“Our role is to anticipate the needs of future operators while ensuring the safety, performance, and cost-efficiency of our infrastructure. This partnership enables us to translate our environmental ambitions into concrete, phased operational solutions,” states Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.

Cannes Mandelieu: the first site under study

While the work covers all three of the group’s airports, Cannes Mandelieu currently appears to be the most suitable site for initial implementation. As a major business aviation hub on the French Riviera and a prime gateway to Monaco, the airport’s operations are representative of the future use cases for “One.” Its layout also allows for the study of integrating hydrogen infrastructure into a high-activity facility.

This initial study aims to assess the practical conditions for integrating refueling operations, while taking into account requirements regarding safety, operational performance and economic viability. It will also evaluate the expected benefits of introducing hydrogen-electric aircraft in terms of reducing noise and local emissions.

A phased strategy adapted to the growth of operations

The study is not solely aimed at defining a target infrastructure. It should also make it possible to establish a phased trajectory, adapted to the various market penetration scenarios and to the actual evolution of demand. The partners want to avoid any initial oversizing while ensuring that capacity can evolve as hydrogen operations develop.

Over the longer term, this approach may integrate other uses of hydrogen at the airports, particularly for certain service vehicles or ground support equipment, where such synergies are relevant. At this stage, no final investment or implementation decision has been made. The next phases of the work will make it possible to compare the different architectures and recommend the most suitable solution for each airport.

A Côte d’Azur ecosystem mobilized for the decarbonization of aviation

The announcement is part of a broader momentum around the decarbonization of aeronautics and air mobility on the French Riviera. It extends the partnership announced in July 2026 by Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur with Blade, Héli Sécurité and Monacair to prepare the arrival of Joby Aviation’s electric air taxis in Nice. It also builds on the zero-emission strategy pursued by Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, the first French airport group to achieve Level 5 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme in 2025 and holder of the EcoVadis Gold medal. By anticipating the technical and operational needs today, Beyond Aero and Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur aim to position the group’s airports among the first in Europe to concretely prepare for this new generation of aircraft.

Source: Press release Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur