Electra reaches 2,200 pre-orders for its Ultra Short aircraft

Aerospace company Electra.aero Inc. has now secured 2,200 pre-orders for its EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft. Valued at nearly $9 billion, Electra's order pipeline is one of the largest in the advanced air mobility industry.

New customers include: Akansel (Turkey) and Dieng & Co Engineering (Senegal) in partnership with Flow Aero (U.S./Turkey), Caverton Helicopters (Nigeria), Copenhagen Helicopter and Copenhagen Air Taxi (Denmark), 5 Star Helicopter Tours (U.S.), Global Vectra Helicorp (India), and Helicidade Heilporto (Brazil).

They join Electra's existing customers, which are incorporating the EL9 into their fleets to lower operational costs and open service to new destinations. This group includes: Bristow Group, a global provider of vertical flight solutions to government and civil organizations, and Electra's operational launch partner; on-demand private aviation platforms including 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.

Electra's Ultra Short aircraft – which integrates blown lift and hybrid-electric propulsion to take off and land in 150 feet – enables air operators to connect communities that lack aviation infrastructure, fly into airports with strict noise restrictions, create new opportunities and business models for cargo services, and potentially save travelers significant time and hassle. It also introduces military logistics capabilities including landing on unimproved surfaces to improve safety and reduce cost, power ground operations, and carry out critical 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.”

Customers foresee using its ultra-short takeoff capabilities to open the door to new routes in areas with space and noise constraints.

The nine-passenger EL9 offers up to 3,000 pounds of payload capacity and a range up to 1,100 nautical miles, with in-flight battery recharging that eliminates the need for ground charging infrastructure.

Electra's team includes some of the most respected and successful entrepreneurs and engineers in novel aircraft design, with over 40 prior aircraft successfully developed and/or certified. Lockheed Martin Ventures, Honeywell, and Safran are among Electra's strategic investors along with Prysm Capital, Statkraft Ventures (Norwegian sovereign fund), the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), and other private investors. Electra's contracted customers include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy, along with more than 2,200 Letters of Intent from 50+ commercial customers, including airlines and helicopter operators.