August 31, 2026
Viraj Aero, a startup specialising in low-carbon aircraft propulsion, today announces a €4.5 million fundraise. The round is led by IRDI Capital Investissement, alongside Climate Founders, ARTS, the company's industrial partner, OCSEED, and a group of business angels and family offices with expertise in the aerospace and climate transition sectors. Viraj Aero is also supported by Bpifrance, notably through its Deeptech Development Grant (Aide au Développement Deeptech).
As Europe accelerates the transformation of its aerospace industry to meet its climate targets, reducing the impact of air transport stands as one of the defining technological challenges of the decade. Viraj Aero is developing a new propulsion architecture designed to act simultaneously on CO₂ emissions and on so-called non-CO₂ effects, such as nitrogen oxides and contrails. Still insufficiently accounted for in decarbonisation strategies, these phenomena nonetheless contribute significantly to aviation's climate impact. By addressing both dimensions together, Viraj Aero intends to offer a decarbonisation pathway that complements sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen and electrification.
Viraj Aero's innovation lies in bringing on board aircraft a technology proven over several decades on ground-based turbines, notably in the energy sector: steam injection. Until now, its application to aviation has run into one major obstacle — the need to carry large quantities of water on board, at the expense of aircraft weight and performance.
Viraj Aero intends to remove that barrier by recovering the water naturally present in the engine's exhaust gases. That water can then be reinjected as steam into the turbine, improving its efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and limiting pollutant emissions.
"For forty years, steam injection has proven its effectiveness on the ground without ever taking flight. Finally giving it wings is one of the finest promises of modern aeronautics, and it is Viraj Aero's very purpose." Joseph Risson, Co-founder and CEO of Viraj Aero
The round will allow Viraj Aero to accelerate the development of Ailefroide, a four-seat aircraft fitted with a steam-injected turbine. Its maiden flight is planned for 2027. The financing will also enable the company to strengthen its engineering capabilities and to prepare the certification of EYJA, its first propulsion system for light aviation, targeted for market entry in 2029.
Viraj Aero's technology is intended to be rolled out progressively across several aircraft categories: light aircraft and small helicopters, 40- to 70-seat regional aircraft and, in the longer term, commercial aviation. Because the physics of steam injection is independent of engine size, Viraj Aero can scale up step by step, from an initial four-seat demonstrator to larger aircraft platforms.
Full article on Les Echos
