US public charter airline JSX has announced plans to acquire up to 332 hybrid-electric aircraft from three emerging manufacturers, potentially increasing its current fleet eight-fold. The Texas-based operator, which sells individual seats on flights to private air terminals, has announced 132 firm orders and 200 options for aircraft ranging from nine to 30 seats, dramatically expanding its current complement of 48 Embraer E145 regional jets. Of the new aircraft, JSX has committed to take 32 US-made Electra short take-off and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, with options for 50 more of the nine-seaters, 50 firm orders and 100 options for 19-seat ERA aircraft from French airframer AURA AERO, and 50 firm orders plus 50 options for 30-seat ES-30 commuter planes from Sweden’s Heart Aerospace. Meanwhile, electric seaplane maker Elfly Group and Lofoten Green Islands, a public-private partnership, are to collaborate on introducing zero-emission regional flights in Norway’s remote Artic north-west.

Describing itself as a “hop-on public charter jet service for all”, JSX operates up to 120 daily flights with its 30-seat Embraers to 24 business and leisure destinations in eight US states, plus Mexico and The Bahamas.

“As network airlines order ever-larger aircraft it is inevitable that more and more small markets will be abandoned,” said JSX co-founder and CEO Alex Wilcox, a former senior executive of JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic Airways and former Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines, and current Board member of LATAM Airlines.

“Electra, AURA AERO, and Heart Aerospace are visionary organisations that share in JSX’s commitment to serving smaller communities,” he said, “working together with us to weave sustainable regional air travel back into the fabric of American commerce and freedom of movement.”

The electric aircraft deals reflect a strategy by JSX to grow into a range of unserved or under-served secondary markets with a mix of zero-emission aircraft types offering different capabilities.

The largest is the four-engine ES-30 commuter airliner being developed by Heart Aerospace, with which JSX has signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 100 aircraft.

The ES-30s are designed to carry 30 passengers up to 200 kilometres using fully electric zero emission propulsion, and up to 400 kilometres using hybrid power, with potential to carry 25 passengers up to 800 kilometres when using typical airline fuel reserves.

“We’re really excited to be part of the JSX commitment toward sustainable regional air travel,” said Heart’s President and CCO, Simon Newitt. “The ES-30, with its competitive economics and green credentials, fits very well with JSX’s vision, and we see not only the opportunity to reconnect many regional routes lost over the years, but also open many more new ones.  We believe this transformation will be good for the consumer, good for the economy, as well as for the environment.”

Heart has secured a total of 250 firm orders, plus options and purchase rights for another 120 and, including the JSX agreement, holds letters of intent for another 191.

JSX has also signed a letter of intent with the French regional aircraft maker AURA AERO for up to 150 ERA aircraft, providing the flexibility to serve smaller markets or to offer more frequent service on existing routes with lower capacity planes.

The hybrid-electric ERA is an eight-motor aircraft, designed to carry up to 19 passengers or 1.9 tons of freight, has a flight range up to 1,600 kilometres, and can operate on short or unsealed runways.

The company says it has almost 500 orders for the aircraft, which it is aiming to introduce into commercial service before 2030.

“We are very proud to have been selected by JSX, one of the key operators in the US, to support the development of their regional network,” said Jeremy Caussade, President and Co-founder of AURA AERO. “ERA, our low-carbon aircraft, provides the performances required for JSX to bring air connectivity to more local communities.”

The smallest of the new aircraft types selected by JSX is the nine-seat Electra short take-off or landing (eSTOL) aircraft. JSX has signed a letter of intent to take up to 82 of the eight-motor aircraft from Virginia, USA-based Electra, with the first expected to join the airline in 2028.

The Electra eSTOL, for which 1,600 orders and options have been secured from 35 operators, is designed to take off or land on airstrips of less than 150 feet (46 metres) at speeds as low as 35 mph (56 kph), and to fly up to 500 nautical miles (926 kilometres), enabling services to be operated to and from small runways, airstrips or spaces inaccessible to larger fixed-wing aircraft.

It also enables low-capacity passenger or freight flights into regional communities, or low-volume, high-frequency services into small markets not served by other airlines.

“With the Electra eSTOL aircraft, JSX can dramatically lower the cost of its service and open new flight options at over 2,000 US airports, stimulating local economies and empowering regional mobility and connectivity for communities devoid of regular air service today,” said the airframer.

In Norway, electric seaplane developer Elfly Group has signed a letter of intent with Lofoten Green Islands, a private-public partnership for sustainable development, to progress the introduction of zero emission regional aviation in the Lofoten Archipelago in the country’s Arctic north-west, in line with the national target of emission-free domestic aviation by 2040.

The agreement was signed between Elfly, which is developing the all-electric ‘Noemi’ (no emissions) seaplane, and Lofoten Council, Destination Lofoten and regional energy provider Lofotkraft on behalf of six local municipalities.

The aircraft is inspired by a combination of the de Havilland Twin Otter and Grumman Mallard, its design funded by private investors and the Research Council of Norway. It will be powered by two battery-electric engines with a combined 1MW output and offer a flight range of up to 200 kilometres.

An experimental prototype of the aircraft is being prepared for test flights from 2026, in partnership with the Norwegian government and Enova SF.

Elfly is seeking certification of its test vehicle to CS23 Level 4, which would enable evolution of the prototype from a six or nine-seat business aircraft or a 13-seat tourist version up to a 19-seat seaplane, with additional plans for cargo or medevac versions.

The communities of the Lofoten region are remote, with access to and between the region’s islands often challenging and time-consuming, and some connections provided by regular helicopter services.

“Lofoten is a spectacular but demanding geographical area where ground transport takes a long time,” said Vidar Thom Benjaminsen, Mayor of the region’s Vågan Municipality and head of the Lofoten Regional Council.

“An electric aircraft capable of landing on water in a safe and good way, affordably priced, will be very good for Lofoten. We can travel from Svolvӕr to Reine in less than half an hour and make better connections with larger regional centres,” he said.

“Electric seaplanes with boat hulls and good stability can add exciting new travel opportunities within Lofoten,” added Hanna Sverdrup, Mayor of Moskenes “Our fishing villages can be connected by seaplane from port to port and they can help open new business opportunities for Reine, our most popular and iconic destination.”

Eric Lithun, CEO and founder of Elfly Group, said the new partnership demonstrated electric seaplanes could meet community needs in remote and challenging regions such as Lofoten. “We are proud to have the Lofoten Regional Council on board with us on this journey as we work to develop a product which suits their needs in the region, supporting travel and tourism, but also addressing the local transport needs for Lofoten inhabitants. Seaplanes will return.”

Image: AURA AERO’s ERA 19-seater hybrid-electric regional aircraft in JSX livery

Tony Harrington

Correspondent

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After a four-year absence due to the global pandemic, the aerospace industry returned in force to the Paris Air Show, which was marked not just by 1,260-plus orders and options for new aircraft, but also by a flood of product, procurement and partnership deals focused on reducing the sector’s impact on the environment. The event was also thick with news of zero-emission aircraft and propulsion systems, technology breakthroughs promising higher efficiency and lower emissions, and research and development programmes to refine or explore paths to more sustainable aviation. An order by India’s largest airline, IndiGo, for 500 Airbus A320 and 321 neo jets to accommodate huge growth plans beyond 2030, reinforced forecasts that the global commercial fleet will double in size over the next 20 years.

Multiple commitments and technology advances were announced for the evolving electric aviation sector, most with certification and entry-into-service targets between 2025 and 2030. Miami-based AeroLease announced it had signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire 50 Eviation Alice electric commuter planes, while Netherlands-based start-up Maeve Aerospace unveiled a revised version of its proposed 44-seat Maeve 01 all-electric aircraft, to be powered with four 1.2 Mw electric motors. Maeve is aiming for certification in 2028 and entry into commercial service in 2030.

French start-up Aura Aero confirmed commitments and collaborations in Europe, the US and Africa for its ERA electric thrust aircraft, which will be offered in passenger and freight configurations. Maltese executive fleet operator Elit’ Avia and French regional carrier Pan Europeene signed LOIs for a combined 12 planes. Additionally, Utah-based freight airline Alpine Air Express signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist Aura Aero in gaining US certification for the ERA and Gabon-based AfriJet signed a MoU, which, while not specifying details, the airline’s CEO, Marc Gaffajoli, described as “for us, the most plausible and mature solution.”

Marseille-based airframer Daher, together with Airbus and Safran, exhibited for the first time their EcoPulse aircraft, a hybrid-electric distributed propulsion testbed, which will rely on a single independent electrical source to power multiple engines. Based on Daher’s TBM aircraft platform, the EcoPulse has six wing-mounted e-propellers provided by Safran, and two power sources – a Safran gas turbine and a battery pack supplied by Airbus. The demonstrator will begin flight testing later this year as part of a programme to define, develop and deliver a hybrid-powered plane to market by 2027.

Another French start-up, Beyond Aero, unveiled its four-passenger BYA-1 hydrogen-electric jet, while the Volt Aero Cassio 330, a 4-5 seat hybrid-electric aircraft, was also displayed ahead of its first flight in the coming weeks.

US-based electric powertrain developer MagniX said it would soon start converting a De Havilland Dash 7 aircraft into a zero-emission testbed, replacing two of its four Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A engines with new MagniX 650 electric motors, and a pair of 450kwH battery packs. Another electric propulsion developer, Wright Electric, announced that ground trials of its new aerospace motor-generator had delivered 1 Megawatt (1,300 horsepower) of energy, enabling it to be used as a turbogenerator or auxiliary power unit for high altitude commercial or defence applications.

Airbus announced a research and development partnership with Geneva-based STMicroelectronics to explore the development of lighter, more efficient power electronics required for future hybrid-powered aircraft and all-electric air taxis. They will focus on wide bandgap Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride semiconductor materials, which have better electrical properties than conventional conductors such as silicon.

Rolls–Royce revealed it was ready to test its first small gas turbine, developed as a turbogenerator system for novel propulsion aircraft including electric air taxis, and hybrid-electric commuter planes seating up to 19 passengers. Additionally, regional jet maker Embraer announced a joint venture with Japanese electric motor manufacturer NIDEC to develop propulsion systems for eVTOL aircraft, with Embraer’s air taxi division Eve Air Mobility the launch customer.

Hydrogen propulsion developer ZeroAvia announced multiple deals, the largest of them an agreement to deliver 250 hydrogen-electric ZA2000 engines for 40-80 seat turboprop conversions to California-based Flyshare, which will launch a new airline, Air Cahana, on the west coast. UK-based lessor Monte also firmed a previously-provisional order for 100 ZA 600 powertrains for 9-19 seat aircraft, while French lessor Green Aerolease signed an MoU to acquire an unspecified number of ZA 600 units.

ZeroAvia also revealed that in tests with MHIRJ, the type certificate holder for CRJ regional jets, “clear applications” had been identified to retrofit regional jet aircraft with hydrogen-electric propulsion systems. The initial aircraft suitable for conversion to ZeroAvia’s proposed ZA 2000RJ powertrain would be a CRJ 700 aircraft, though the technical study also validated conversions of other in-service CRJ-series jets, including the CRJ 500 and 990 models.

Another zero-emission start-up, Sydney-based Dovetail Electric Aviation, announced a partnership with HTWO, the hydrogen power division of Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, to test a hydrogen-electric powertrain for regional aircraft, with a view to commencing test flights as early as next year.

Deutsche Aircraft revealed the first metal was being cut for the prototype of its 40-seat D328eco regional airliner, a 100% SAF-compatible turboprop, which is scheduled for its first flight in 2025 and targeting entry into service by 2026, while at the opposite end of the scale US-based Jet Zero revealed its Z4 blended wing concept, targeted as a replacement for mid-market aircraft including the Boeing 767 and 787-8, with fuel burn savings of up to 50%.

The Airbus research arm UpNext announced a new test programme to investigate the replacement of a fossil-fuelled auxiliary power unit with a hydrogen fuel cell system to power non-propulsive aircraft functions including air conditioning, cabin lighting and avionics. An A330-200 jet will be retrofitted for the programme, taking to the air by late 2025.

Airbus also signed a MoU with US-based SAF producer LanzaJet to advance the construction of facilities to produce sustainable aviation fuel using LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology, while global energy company Sasol and Topsoe, a specialist in carbon reduction technologies, agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture to develop, build, own and operate new SAF plants, and market renewable fuels. E-fuel producer Twelve also used the Paris show to announce plans for SAF production from CO2 and renewable energy at a new plant to be built in the US state of Washington.

United Airlines Ventures revealed that another seven to eight partners would join its Sustainable Flight Fund within the next two months, and foreshadowed investment in new SAF offtake deals as producers built renewable fuel capacity.

On the eve of the Paris Air Show, seven chief technology officers from major aviation manufacturers released a statement committing to “supporting policies that increase the supply of SAF while ensuring a consistent and predictable demand through harmonised global measures.”

The CTOs of Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Safran added: “We are unified in the proposition that our industry has a prosperous and more sustainable future, and that we can make it happen through the near-term implementation of lasting industry-wide and globalised harmonised policies.”

Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Aura Aero display at the Paris Air Show

Finnair has signed a letter of interest with Heart Aerospace under which the airline could purchase up to 20 of the Swedish start-up’s ES-19 electric 19-seater commuter aircraft currently under development. Heart expects the aircraft to be available for first commercial flights in 2026, and with an all-electric range of 217 nautical miles (400km), Finnair would use them on its shorter routes. The aircraft will be powered by four electric motors using automotive battery technology and be capable for operations from 750-metre-long runways. It will have a cruise speed of 180kts and a top speed of 215kts. Heart Aerospace was previously part of the Electric Air Travel in Sweden (ELISE) project and has funding from Sweden’s Vinnova innovation agency, backing from EQT Ventures for the ES-19 project and has secured €2.5 million ($3m) from the European Innovation Council Green Deal Accelerator Programme. Since 2019, Finnair has been a part of the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation to drive the development of electric flying in the region. Meanwhile, French start-up Aura Aero has unveiled a 19-seat electric aircraft aimed at the low-carbon regional transport market with an entry into service date also planned for 2026.

With a commitment to halving its net CO2 emissions by the end of 2025 and achieving carbon neutrality in 2045, Finnair’s VP Sustainability, Anne Larilahti, said the airline wanted to be actively involved in developing and implementing new technologies.

“Finnair believes electric aviation will be one of the tools for the future of flying,” she said. “It will help to promote responsible and sustainable aviation, especially on short routes, in an era where climate change will increasingly dominate the agenda. Solving the climate challenge of flying is essential so that the social and economic benefits of aviation can continue. Many of the measures require collaboration across industries in tandem with partners playing a key role in our ongoing sustainability work.”

Heart Aerospace has selected a seven-blade MT propeller to drive the ES-19’s four electric motors and the company claims the aircraft will offer 50-75% savings in fuel/energy and 90% savings in maintenance compared to an equivalent turboprop, as well as having the lowest infrastructural footprint of all modes of regional transport. For a design meant for short hops between small or large communities, noise is a big consideration, and although the ES-19 will not be completely quiet, it will be considerably less noisy than a turboprop or piston-engined aircraft, assures the company.

“Finnair’s climate goals are among the most ambitious in the airline industry and we believe that our electric aircraft can play an important role in creating zero emissions regional travel,” said Heart Aerospace CEO Andres Forslund. “We’ve been working closely together in the Nordic Network for some time. We are very impressed by the dedication and commitment of the Finnair team, and we’re thankful for their support as we take the next steps in building and certifying the ES-19.”

Initially, Heart foresees its aircraft offering point-to-point transportation between Scandinavian cities but as well as the enthusiasm from Finnair and other airlines in the Nordic Network, Heart reports similar interest for its aircraft from New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK.

The Nordic Network for Electric Aviation (NEA) is a collaboration of 12 airlines, airport operator groups and others from six Nordic countries. It is funded by Nordic Innovation, an organisation under the Nordic Council of Ministers. NEA’s four objectives are to standardise electric aviation in the Nordic countries; develop business models for regional point-to-point connectivity between Nordic countries; develop aircraft technology for Nordic weather conditions; and create a platform for European and global collaboration.

Norway is aiming for all domestic flights to be 100%-electric by 2040 and airport operator Avinor says there are relatively few passengers per flight on the short routes between its 44 airports. The operator has announced it is joining forces with the Norwegian CAA, the Federation of Norwegian Industries and research institute SINTEF to establish an innovation and testing centre by the end of this year to promote the development of sustainable aviation. There are already several projects in the country involved in the electrification of aircraft and the new centre will aid the development of the technology. It will aim to bring together specialist national and international expertise from different sectors and make it possible for stakeholders to build a global network for collaboration on zero and low emission regional aviation.

Sweden is aiming for all domestic air travel to be fossil-fuel free by 2030 and all international flights departing from Swedish airports by 2045. Swedavia, another NEA member, has adopted a target that by 2025, 5% of all jet fuel used at its airports should be renewable. The operator has just announced that emissions under its own control at its 10 airports are now “fossil-free”.

“Swedavia’s airports are part of a larger transport system and being fossil-free now in our own operations is obviously just one milestone. We are now intensifying the work to support other companies and organisations that operate at the airports to adapt to more sustainable operations and, above all, to enable aviation’s climate change transition through investments in bio aviation fuel and by preparing our airports for electric aviation,” said Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s CEO.

Meanwhile, Toulouse-based Aura Aero, which describes itself as the “first digital and eco-efficient aircraft manufacturer”, plans to develop a 19-seater Electric Regional Aircraft (ERA) that is expected to perform its maiden flight in 2024 before entering commercial operations in 2026 in both a passenger and freighter configuration. The company is planning to power the electric engines with batteries specially developed for aeronautical use. The Occitanie region has pledged to support the project with funding of between €3-5 million.

Top image: Heart Aerospace ES-19