Electra has successfully obtained 2,200 pre-orders for its innovative EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. With a valuation approaching $9 billion, Electra's order pipeline ranks among the largest within the Advanced Air Mobility sector.
Electra’s Ultra Short, featuring blown lift and hybrid-electric propulsion for takeoff and landing within just 150 feet, allows air operators to connect communities without aviation infrastructure, access airports with stringent noise restrictions, and explore new opportunities and business models for cargo services, significantly saving travellers' time and hassle. Additionally, it offers new logistics capabilities for military operations, such as landing on unprepared surfaces, enhancing safety, reducing costs, supporting ground operations, and executing essential logistics transport.
“Electra’s Ultra Short is the unlock for a new era of air travel, what we call Direct Aviation, that is as transformative as it’s practical,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “Hybrid-electric propulsion enables us to achieve what jet fuel alone can’t do; we’ve created a fixed-wing airplane that delivers the access of a helicopter with 100 times less noise, 70% lower cost, improved safety, and dramatically reduced emissions. The response from the global aviation industry has been tremendous. Our customers see the EL9 aircraft as a true game-changer, and they’re using its ultra-short takeoff capabilities to open the door to new routes in areas with space and noise constraints. Together, we’re enabling a fundamental leap forward in advanced air mobility.”
Electra's Ultra Short technology suite combines advanced blown lift aerodynamics with hybrid-electric propulsion to develop an aviation platform that was unattainable a decade ago. This innovation offers enhanced accessibility, reduced noise, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability in a single solution, all while operating within existing infrastructure.
The nine-passenger EL9 offers a payload capacity of up to 3,000 pounds and a range of up to 1,100 nautical miles. Its in-flight battery recharging capability removes the necessity for ground charging infrastructure. The aircraft's ability to operate from small spaces and unimproved surfaces, such as grass fields, parking lots, and repurposed heliports, facilitates new routes and economic opportunities, thereby making regional air mobility for passengers and cargo more affordable and accessible than ever before.
Electra's latest clientele comprises operators interested in the EL9's benefits, such as noise reduction, cost efficiency, reduced emissions, and enhanced safety. The new customers are Akansel (Turkey), Dieng & Co Engineering (Senegal) in collaboration with Flow Aero (US/Turkey), Caverton Helicopters (Nigeria), Copenhagen Helicopter and Copenhagen Air Taxi (Denmark), 5 Star Helicopter Tours (US), Global Vectra Helicorp (India), and Helicidade Heilporto (Brazil).
They join Electra’s current clientele, who are integrating the EL9 into their fleets to reduce operational expenses and expand service to new destinations. This group includes Bristow Group, the premier global provider of vertical flight solutions for government and civil organizations and Electra’s operational launch partner; prominent on-demand private aviation platforms such as Indian operators JetSetGo and Blade India, Brazil-based Flapper in Latin America, Germany-based flyv in Europe, Finland-based LYGG in Scandinavia, and U.S. regional airlines JSX and Surf Air.
