Stralis (Brisbane International) will close down weeks after completing its first hydrogen-electric taxi test with Beech (single piston) A36 Bonanza VH-X2H (msn E-394) on July 29, 2026. The Australian OEM said it "could not close the gap between proof and commercial readiness quickly enough to sustain the business."
Stralis cited insufficient airline demand, high certification costs, and immature hydrogen supply, infrastructure, and regulatory pathways. It plans to wind up its activities by the end of August.
Florian Kruse, chief executive of Evia Aero (Bremen Hans Koschnick), told ch-aviation that it "deeply regret[s] Stralis' decision to exit the market" but remains on track to introduce sustainable aircraft after 2030 under a multi-OEM approach. The German start-up had committed to six Beech 1900D-HEs, with ten options, and five A36-HE retrofits due from 2029. It became Stralis' European commercial representative in March 2026.
Stralis also identified Skytrans Australia as launch customer for up to fifteen B1900D-HEs. Penjet and Air Frontier had also expressed interest in the type, while Aviate Enterprises was set to become the American launch customer for the A36-HE.
Stralis had planned to start piloted flight testing eith VH-X2H later in 2026. According to data from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Stralis has two Bonanza aircraft registered under its name: VH-X2H and VH-8H2 (msn E-123).
