First firm order placed for AURA’s ERA regional hybrid-electric aircraft

French aircraft manufacturer AURA AERO has announced the first firm order for its regional ERA 19-seater hybrid-electric aircraft. The customer is Pan Européenne Air Service (PEAS), a French private airline that has specialised in customised business flights for over 50 years and is aiming to become one of the first in the world to operate a hybrid-electric aircraft with paying passengers. The airline has been supporting AURA AERO and the ERA programme from the outset and its commitment follows taking part in flight testing of AURA AERO’s fully electric two-seat training aircraft, INTEGRAL E. The manufacturer claims ERA will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to thermal aircraft in its category and to date its order book includes nearly 700 Letters of Intent from 16 international airlines and fleet operators, valued at $12 billion.

PEAS operates five Embraer aircraft ranging from five to 49 seats and serves up to 500 destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Commenting on its ERA order, the co-CEOs of PEAS, Antoine Foessel and Clément Jacquot, said: “AURA AERO’s ambition and values are perfectly aligned with our vision of the aviation of tomorrow. The technological and industrial choices made in the design and production of ERA since the launch of the company have always proved extremely relevant, and it was only natural that we chose this aircraft in order to be able to offer the first decarbonised air transport service in history.”

ERA will be powered by eight electric ENGINeUS motors – the world’s first certified electric aircraft engine, developed by aerospace company Safran – and two sustainable aviation fuel compatible turbogenerators. AURA says the aircraft will automatically alternate between hybrid and electric modes depending on the flight phase and have a range of up to 900 nautical miles (1,500km) and a maximum cruise speed of 300 knots (555 km/hr). It will be able to be configured for commuter, cargo, medevac or private aviation use.

Testing of the first prototype is expected to begin, says the company, by the end of 2026, with a maiden flight planned in 2027 and market launch is targeted by 2030.

“Pan Européenne is much more than a launch customer, it is a trusted partner that has been with us since the beginning of the ERA programme,” said Jérémy Caussade, President and co-founder of AURA AERO.

Founded in 2018 and based in Toulouse, AURA AERO was the first aerospace company selected by the European Innovation Fund to receive a grant financed through revenues generated by the EU Emissions Trading System.

In November, French multinational electric utility company EDF announced an investment of €2 million in AURA AERO, a year after acquiring a stake in the company. AURA AERO also has support from the Occitanie Region, the French Public Investment Bank and venture capital firm Innovacom.

With the United States representing over one-third of all global LOIs received so far, AURA plans to open in 2028 a 50,000-square-metre assembly factory in Florida. This follows a partnership agreement signed over two years ago with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the project is supported by the state’s aerospace economic development agency, Space Florida.

Image (AURA AERO): ERA in Pan Européenne Air Service livery

Christopher Surgenor
Editor