Elixir Aircraft announces a €45 million funding round, led by Bpifrance’s SPI (Sociétés de Projets Industriels) Fund, managed on behalf of the French Government as part of the France 2030 investment plan, alongside Odyssée Venture, Innovacom (Turenne Group), and other investors. This funding will enable the French aircraft manufacturer to accelerate its industrial and commercial expansion internationally, particularly in the United States, and to launch Equinox, a program for an all-new aircraft.
A €45 Million Funding Round for a New Phase of Growth
This funding round is led by Bpifrance’s SPI Fund, managed on behalf of the French Government as part of the France 2030 investment plan, alongside Odyssée Venture, long-standing shareholder Innovacom, and other investors.
Industrial scale-up and international expansion
These new funds will support Elixir Aircraft’s industrial expansion as the company continues to ramp up production. Having produced 16 aircraft in the first half of 2026, the manufacturer has already built more aircraft in six months than it did during the whole of 2025. Today, 60 Elixir aircraft are flying across Europe—in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, and Greece—and the first Elixir flight in the United States took place in June.
Since its previous funding round in 2024, the company has nearly tripled its production. Its goal is to rapidly reach an industrial capacity of five aircraft per month.
While its current industrial operations are spread across Périgny, where the wings are manufactured, Aytré, where the factory opened in 2024 produces composite parts (fuselages and flight control surfaces), and the final assembly line at La Rochelle Airport, the company’s existing production footprint is approaching full capacity. Elixir Aircraft is therefore preparing to consolidate its manufacturing operations into a single production site.
Since the 2024 funding round, nearly 100 new employees have joined the company, bringing its total workforce to almost 250. Elixir Aircraft continues to recruit to support its next phase of growth, particularly for production roles at its La Rochelle facilities and to expand its support team in Sarasota, Florida, USA.
The funding round will also accelerate international commercial development. Priority is being given to the U.S. market, where the Sarasota site is starting operations with an initial spare parts inventory and a support team. The company also intends to strengthen its presence in Asia, particularly in the Indian market.
Elixir: The Fourth Generation of Training Aircraft
Certified by EASA in 2020 and by the FAA in 2025, the Elixir single-engine, two-seat aircraft ushered in the fourth generation of pilot training aircraft. Thanks to its full carbon-fiber one-piece airframe, built using Carbon OneShot technology inspired by offshore racing yachts, its fuel-efficient engine, and a design optimized for simplified maintenance and an almost unlimited service life, it offers one of the lowest operating costs in its class while delivering a high level of safety through standard equipment, including an airframe parachute, spin-resistant design, and crash-resistant fuel tank. These features also make it an environmentally responsible training platform, reducing CO₂ emissions by 70% compared with previous-generation aircraft. Today, 60 Elixir aircraft are in service with flight schools across Europe. In April 2026, the increased-payload version was introduced under the name Elixir+.
Equinox: A New Program to Complete the Product Range
The funding will also enable the launch of a new aircraft program. Named Equinox, it represents the natural next step in the Elixir product line. Larger and designed to meet the needs of flight training organizations, it will build on the same technological foundations as the current Elixir. More details about this new aircraft will be announced in the coming months.
At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (Wisconsin, USA), taking place from July 20 to 26, Elixir Aircraft will showcase its full product lineup available by the end of 2026. The display will include the current Elixir and Elixir+ models, as well as enhanced versions featuring upgraded equipment and new powerplant options, offering a preview of the future aircraft being developed under the Equinox program.
“This funding round marks a new milestone in Elixir Aircraft’s development. We are staying the course we set for ourselves, and the results achieved demonstrate the relevance of our strategy, at a time when the global need to renew training fleets is increasingly clear. I would like to warmly thank all our teams and financial partners — both those who have supported us since the very beginning of the adventure and those joining us today — for their trust and commitment alongside us,” said Arthur Léopold-Léger, co-founder and President of Elixir Aircraft.
“We are delighted to support Elixir Aircraft in this new phase of its development. This transaction reflects the SPI Fund’s mission: to support the industrial scaling of high-potential innovative companies that strengthen the sovereignty and competitiveness of the French aerospace industry. With its industrial momentum already well underway and a growing base of recognized customers across Europe, Elixir Aircraft has strong assets to establish itself as a leading player in the professional pilot training market and contribute to the renewal of training fleets worldwide,” said Jean-Philippe Richard, Deputy Director of Bpifrance’s SPI Fund.
About Elixir Aircraft
Founded in 2015, Elixir Aircraft is a French aircraft manufacturer created to address the challenges facing the global light aviation industry. Headquartered in La Rochelle, France, with operations in Sarasota, Florida, the company employs 240 people.
Elixir Aircraft designs and manufactures a fourth-generation, two-seat aircraft certified under EASA CS-23 since 2020 and FAA Part 23 since 2025. The Elixir features Carbon OneShot technology—a one-piece carbon-fiber manufacturing process inspired by competitive sailing—which simplifies the airframe structure to enhance safety while reducing maintenance requirements and operating costs (approximately US$50 per flight hour for fuel and maintenance).
Today, 60 Elixir aircraft are in service, and the company has an order backlog of more than 300 aircraft, including firm orders, pre-orders, and letters of intent.
In June 2023, the President of the French Republic announced a €13 million grant for Elixir Aircraft. In June 2025, the company was selected by ENAC (the French National School of Civil Aviation) to renew its VFR training fleet. In April 2026, Elixir Aircraft introduced the Elixir+, an enhanced version of its aircraft featuring increased payload capacity. In July 2026, the company secured a €45 million funding round to launch the Equinox program, paving the way for a new aircraft.
About Bpifrance and SPI fund
Bpifrance is the French national investment bank: it finances businesses – at every stage of their development – through loans, guarantees, equity investments and export insurances. Bpifrance also provides extra financial services (training, consultancy) to help entrepreneurs meet their challenges (innovation, export…).
For more information: www.Bpifrance.com – https://presse.bpifrance.fr – Follow us on X: @Bpifrance – @BpifrancePresse and LinkedIn.
The SPI fund, managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French state in connection with the France 2030 plan, is intended to help industrial projects with the best business and employment opportunities for industrial sectors to find support for their development. The fund acts as an informed investor taking stakes in project companies with industrialization projects, which are selected for their growth potential, the current positioning of the industry and their contribution to the environmental and energy transition. As such, it is one of the financial levers of the New Industrial France (Nouvelle France Industrielle) policy.
About Odyssée Venture
Odyssée Venture is a French private equity firm specializing in the support of growth-oriented companies. Since 1999, it has raised more than €750 million through FIPs, FCPI funds, and FCPRs, and has financed nearly 200 growth-stage SMEs across a broad range of sectors, with equity tickets ranging from €1 million to €10 million. From startup to pre-IPO, Odyssée Venture supports companies through the key phases of rapid growth, including product launches, commercial acceleration, international expansion, and build-up strategies.
About Innovacom (Turenne Groupe)
A specialist in deeptech and industrial startups, INNOVACOM supports the creation and growth of innovative companies driving the environmental, digital, and industrial transitions across a wide range of sectors, including energy, telecommunications, mobility, smart cities, aerospace, and NewSpace.
Part of the Turenne Group since 2018, INNOVACOM operates through offices in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. The firm has invested more than €1 billion, supported over 300 technology and industrial companies, including six unicorns, participated in more than 20 initial public offerings (IPOs), and completed more than 150 strategic exits with leading industry players.
INNOVACOM Gestion is authorized and regulated by the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des Marchés Financiers – AMF).
For more information: www.innovacom.com
Contact Presse
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