Electra.aero is setting its sights on the Australian market for its new eSTOL aircraft, announcing a partnership with Melbourne-based ground infrastructure developer Skyportz. Under an agreement announced this week, the two companies will collaborate to pave the way for urban and regional passenger and freight operations.
The U.S.-based manufacturer views Australia, with its dispersed population centers, as a key target market for its hybrid-electric eSTOL model, which is being designed to operate from spaces as small as 300 feet by 100 feet to enable flights directly into city centers or logistics facilities. The fixed-wing aircraft has eight electric motors and propellers, plus a turbogenerator that can recharge the batteries during cruise flight, avoiding the need for charging on the ground.
The new model will carry up to 7 passengers or 1,800 pounds of freight on routes of up to 500 miles. Electra aims to start test flights with its technology demonstrator in 2022 in preparation for anticipated Part 23 certification in 2026.
Electra founder and CEO John Langford sees his company’s new aircraft operating intracity passenger flights, as well as providing connections to remote areas and supporting medical and logistics services. “Australia exemplifies the type of market that will greatly benefit fro Electra’s eSTOL aircraft, with our greater payload capabilities, lower emissions, longer range and reduced operating costs,” he said.
Skyportz has been working to develop an advanced air mobility ecosystem in Australia since 2018. It was founded by Clem Newton-Brown, a former member of the Victoria state legislature and deputy lord mayor of Melbourne. He is also chair of AAUS’s AAM working group as well serving on a NASA working group and an Australian federal government committee investigating new aviation technologies.
“Things are getting pretty crowded in the U.S. and European markets, and we believe that Australia could be a faster jurisdiction to progress certification of a new aircraft,” Newton-Brown commented. “We are so pleased to partner with Electra and are excited by the promise of the eSTOL concept to be very useful for commercial operations.”
