ELFLY appoints Simon Bendrey to lead Aircraft Design and engineering as Noemi enters prototype phase

The Elfly Group today announced the appointment of Simon Bendrey as Chief Engineer and Head of Design, strengthening the company's leadership team as it enters the next phase of development of ‘NOEMI', the world's first fully-electric amphibious seaplane. Bendrey brings more than 30 years of experience in aircraft design and development, including nearly 20 years within the Airbus supply chain, where he worked on the design and approval of primary aircraft structures, predominantly wings across various aircraft types, including A380, A400M and A350 aircraft. Latterly, he spent over five years as Head of Design and Chief Engineer at Dufour Aerospace in Switzerland, leading the development of advanced electric and hybrid-electric aircraft. At Elfly, Bendrey will lead aircraft design and engineering as the company transitions from concept validation to full-scale experimental prototype development, flight testing and certification. Construction of the full-scale experimental NOEMI prototype is planned to commence in early 2026, with first flight targeted for 2027. "There are two challenges that attracted me to this project," said Simon Bendrey. "Firstly, the opportunity to be at the helm of a brand-new seaplane programme, after a 50-year hiatus - a solid opportunity to take a step forward in hydrodynamic and aerodynamic performance. Secondly, the fact that not one twin-engined, all-electric aircraft has yet to be designed and certified. The whole Elfly team is passionately committed to being the first." Bendrey notes that the seaplane mission profile is particularly well suited to electric propulsion. "Seaplanes typically fly short missions, around an hour, versus the three-hour missions common in general aviation. That means today's battery technology supports the seaplane mission very well." NOEMI is being developed as a fully composite aircraft, drawing on decades of progress in composite materials, manufacturing processes, scalability and productionisation. "The last 20 years have seen major advances in composites," Bendrey added. "That allows us to deliver lightweight structures, durability, fatigue tolerance and performance. The real challenge and the main reason I joined Elfly, is integrating those materials with high-voltage battery systems and new powertrains, in a harsh maritime environment. Bringing all of that together is where this programme becomes truly interesting." Elfly Founder and CEO Eric Lithun said the appointment marks a major milestone for the company. "Simon brings rare depth across clean-sheet design, composites, certification and real-world execution. As we move into full-scale prototype development, his experience is exactly what we need. This is a decisive step forward for the NOEMI programme." Elfly has completed Concept Design Review (CDR), extensive wind tunnel and sub-scale testing, and has signed a Pre-Application Contract (PAC) with EASA. The company has also secured more than 70 soft orders across five continents, reflecting strong global operator demand. Elfly is releasing a series of short video interviews with Simon Bendrey, offering insight into some of the engineering challenges, design philosophy and technical decisions behind NOEMI.