Dallas-based JSX, the only regional air carrier with a five-star rating from the Airline Passenger Experience Association, signed letters of intent (LOIs) to acquire as many as 332 hybrid-electric models from manufacturers Electra.aero, Aura Aero, and Heart Aerospace. The charter jet service expects to receive its first delivery in 2028, with a hybrid-electric rollout that same year.

The semiprivate operator emphasized the new aircraft will be used to connect (or reconnect) small communities to major cities with sustainable, relatively affordable flights. Its commitments are part of a pledge to add more environmentally friendly air service options on the heels of the Joe Biden administration’s renewed efforts to decarbonize the aviation sector.

“As the network airlines order ever-larger aircraft, it is inevitable that more and more small markets will be abandoned,” said Alex Wilcox, CEO and co-founder of JSX. “Electra, Aura Aero, and Heart Aerospace are visionary organizations that share in JSX’s commitment to serving smaller communities, working together with us to weave sustainable regional air travel back into the fabric of American commerce and freedom of movement.”

JSX said it vetted dozens of “environmentally conscious airplane proposals” over the past few years before settling on Electra, Aura, and Heart, which it said are focused on the “natural first frontier” for scalable, low-emissions aviation: small, fixed-wing, regional aircraft. The company says it will be the first in its category to adopt hybrid-electric technology.

The New Additions

JSX signed LOIs for a total of 132 firm aircraft orders and 200 options, which the carrier intends to add to its fleet of 48 Embraer E145s, each reconfigured for 30 seats.

The air carrier placed 32 orders for Electra’s nine-seat, hybrid-electric ultra-short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft, with an option for 50 more. The low-emission design has a range of 500 nm and can carry up to 2,500 pounds of cargo. Compared to vertical takeoff alternatives, Electra claims the eSTOL offers more than twice the payload, 10 times the range, and 70 percent lower operating costs.

The eSTOL’s calling card is its ability to take off and land with just 150 feet of runway. Electra enables this through a unique blown-lift technology, which allows the aircraft to take off at speeds as slow as a car driving through a residential neighborhood. The model also deploys distributed electric propulsion, with batteries that recharge in flight, while a turbine-powered generator drives eight electric motors spread across the wing.

According to Electra, the company has a backlog of more than 1,700 preorders from more than 30 companies, including Houston-based helicopter provider Bristow Group.

“Our eSTOL aircraft is uniquely positioned to deliver on JSX’s commitment to provide sustainable access to small communities and large cities alike,” said JP Stewart, vice president and general manager of Electra.

From Aura, JSX agreed to purchase 50 Era aircraft—designed to carry 19 passengers or 1.9 tons of cargo for up to 900 nm—with the option for 100 more. Era uses all-electric propulsion during takeoff, which reduces the aircraft’s noise and environmental footprint. The design features a flexible seating configuration and pressurized cabin, and Aura has collected several hundred orders.

“Era, our low-carbon aircraft, provides the performance required for JSX to bring air connectivity to more local communities,” said Jeremy Caussade, president and co-founder of Aura. “This agreement marks a new step in our development in the USA.”

Finally, JSX signed an LOI for 50 firm orders and options apiece for Heart’s ES-30: a 30-passenger, regional hybrid-electric airplane. Designed for short-haul routes, the model has a maximum range of 432 nm, but it can also cover 216 nm in hybrid configuration or 108 nm in all-electric mode. Heart says the design lowers emissions, noise pollution, and operating costs.

As of September, the company had 250 firm ES-30 orders with options and purchase rights awarded for 120 more. Customers include United Airlines Ventures, Mesa Group, and Air Canada.

“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,” said Simon Newitt, president and chief commercial officer of Heart.

Each of the three manufacturers brings unique design features to the table. But according to JSX, all three aircraft models will lower operating costs and emissions while fitting within existing infrastructure and regulatory parameters.

Regional Air Travel for All

JSX bills itself as a “hop-on” public charter jet service, with the mission of offering competitively priced flights between private terminals. In short, the goal is to provide regional air travel—which traditionally has been reserved for the ultra-wealthy—to all.

But that’s easier said than done. Commercial airlines only serve a few hundred U.S. airports, leaving providers such as JSX to fill in the gaps. At present, the company provides 120 public charter flights per day to 24 business and leisure destinations in eight U.S. states, Mexico, and the Bahamas. However, that still leaves thousands of airports without convenient travel options.

JSX says its Part 135- and Part 380-certified operations, combined with the performance of its new hybrid-electric aircraft, will open thousands of federally funded airports—which otherwise would be inaccessible to those who can’t own or charter an entire aircraft—to service.

The company claims the incoming models will introduce more favorable operating economics, allowing it to “dramatically” lower the cost of service. It expects to open new flight options for over 2,000 U.S. airports that don’t currently offer regular air service, without the need for government subsidies.

In recent months, JSX has steadily added routes to its coverage map while shifting its business away from larger airports. In September, it ditched Miami International Airport (KMIA) for nearby Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport (KOPF) and swapped San Diego International Airport (KSAN) for McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCLD). 

The Dallas-based company also cut flights from Dallas Love Field (KDAL) to Austin and shifted operations from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (KAUS) to Austin Executive Airport (KEDC). And last week, it announced plans to move its Arizona operations from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (KPHX) to a private terminal at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL).

However, federal regulators have recently taken aim at public air charters—including JSX.

While the company was not specifically named, the FAA in August released a notice of intent to develop a potential rule that would force public air charters to adhere to the same rules as commercial airlines. For example, carriers like JSX would only be able to employ co-pilots with 1,500 hours of training and be barred from flying out of private terminals. In other words, the rule would essentially eliminate the public air charter business model.

“The size, scope, frequency, and complexity of charter operations conducted as ‘on-demand’ operations under the part 135 operating rules has grown significantly over the past 10 years,” the agency said. “While the FAA has adjusted its oversight of these increased operations, the FAA is considering whether a regulatory change may be appropriate to ensure the management of the level of safety necessary for those operations.”

The FAA has received tens of thousands of comments on the proposal, many of them the result of an email campaign JSX targeted at its customers. The debate has divided the major commercial airlines: JetBlue and United Airlines, both JSX partners and investors, have decried the rule, while American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have backed it. In addition, several prominent industry groups have banded together in opposition, while airline industry unions have rallied in support.

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The company last week announced it secured an undisclosed investment from climate technology fund Statkraft Ventures to support the development and commercialization of its production aircraft, which is expected to require just 150 feet of takeoff and landing space.

Statkraft, a venture capital fund focused on sustainable energy transition, is committed to decarbonizing transportation by investing in emerging technologies that reduce emissions and will bolster Electra’s efforts to launch as soon as 2028.

“Statkraft brings a deep commitment to supporting companies and technologies that reduce emissions and address the threat of climate change,” said John Langford, founder and CEO of Electra. “We are honored to have Statkraft on our team and look forward to learning from their insight and experience.”

Concurrently, Electra said it has now signed and fully executed its partnership with the U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation division. The agreement will award the startup a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) worth up to $85 million and support development and testing of its full-scale, preproduction prototype, which the Air Force will use to validate requirements and operational use cases.

The STRATFI deepens Electra’s relationship with Agility Prime, a subdivision of AFWERX dedicated to emerging lift technologies. It also builds on the firm’s six active Air Force Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II and III contracts. Those agreements allowed Electra to mature its eSTOL’s hybrid-electric powertrains, blown-lift aerodynamics and acoustics, flight controls, and other features.

In June, Electra unveiled its full-scale, hybrid-electric technology demonstrator, which is expected to begin flying this summer, a year later than originally planned. While the demonstrator features two seats, the company’s full-scale production model will carry up to nine passengers and a pilot, or up to a 2,500-pound payload.

The full-scale design will be built for operations from soccer field-sized spaces. It achieves this through a technology called blown-lift: Eight electric propellers mounted under the leading edge of the aircraft’s fixed wings direct slipstream flows back over the wing into large flaps and ailerons. This directs the flows downward, giving the aircraft enough lift for STOL from runways as short as 150 feet—despite its 9,000-pound weight.

For power, the design’s engine relies on a hybrid-electric powertrain with internal battery-charging capabilities, eliminating the need for ground infrastructure. It is expected to have a 400 nm range and a top cruise speed of 175 knots, creating just 75 dBA of noise when flying at 300 feet—that’s around the volume of a typical vacuum cleaner.

Electra’s aircraft will fly short regional routes in both urban and remote locations, offering a quicker, eco-friendly alternative to road trips. It will occupy the same spaces as vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air taxi services such as Joby Aviation and Lilium. But the company claims its aircraft will deliver more than twice the payload and 10 times the range of “vertical alternatives,” while operations will cost 70 percent less.

In addition to passenger transport and on-demand urban air mobility services, the startup expects its aircraft to handle cargo logistics, executive transport, humanitarian aid, disaster response, and a variety of other use cases.

To certify it, Electra is working with the FAA’s Center for Emerging Concepts and Innovation (CECI) and its Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office to define specific plans, checklists, and safety considerations. 

But unlike many eVTOL aircraft, Electra’s design has no tilting wings and rotors and no hover or transition phase, charting a simpler path to certification. The goal is to certify it as a multiengine, Level 3, low-speed airplane under FAA Part 23. And to fly it, Electra expects pilots will only need a standard fixed-wing license.

An initial prototype of Electra’s production aircraft is planned to fly in 2025. FAA certification is expected to follow in 2028, two years later than the original target.

“We are excited to partner with Electra as they are leading the change towards more sustainable aviation,” said Alexander Kueppers, managing director at Statkraft. “Their visionary approach and groundbreaking technology to electrify aircraft, reducing operating costs and emissions at the same time, align perfectly with Statkraft Ventures’ mission to support innovative startups that drive the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

The Norwegian venture capital firm’s funding will add to a January 2022 investment by aviation titan Lockheed Martin. Electra has also seen a growing number of preorders, with commitments for over 1,200 deliveries to more than 30 global customers, including existing operators and new entrants.

At launch, Electra has agreements to fly in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Australia, among other locations. It ranked 25th on the most recent AAM Reality Index from SMG Consulting, which assesses the funding, leadership, technology, certification, and production capabilities of AAM manufacturers.

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