The December 19 announcement by public charter operator JSX that it will renew and expand its fleet with up to 332 hybrid-electric aircraft potentially marks one of the biggest decarbonization initiatives in commercial air transport to date. The agreements with three manufacturers—Electra, Aura Aero, and Heart Aerospace—include aircraft seating between 9 and 30 passengers, which JSX feels could be the start of a step-change in regional air services across the U.S.
The three agreements include a letter of intent with Electra for 82 of its nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft (32 firm orders and 50 options), up to 150 of Aura Aero’s 19-seat Era model (50 firm plus 100 options), and up to 100 of Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat ES-30 (50 firm and 50 options). According to JSX, it aims to start operating the first of the new aircraft in 2028, without saying which of the three new types will be delivered first.
Also undisclosed for now, are the financial terms for the three provisional sales agreements and whether any deposits have been paid. The three manufacturers have yet to confirm list prices for their aircraft, but the total value of all 332 potential purchases is likely to be considerably more than $2 billion. It is unclear how JSX intends to finance these transactions, and whether any leasing arrangements might be involved.
The Texas-based company’s fleet currently includes 48 of Embraer’s 30-seat ERJ145 aircraft, providing up to 120 public charter flights daily under DOT Part 380 and FAR Part 135 rules to 24 U.S. destinations. Its flights generally operate from private aviation terminals, separate from the main commercial airline terminals at airports.
In October, JSX pushed back against a notice from the FAA that it intends to rethink what services it will permit under Part 380 charter rules. This comes after sustained protests from Part 121 scheduled airlines. In Tuesday’s announcement, the operator pointed to last week’s call by the Biden Administration for the air transport industry to cut carbon emissions and create new jobs as evidence of political support for investments in electric aviation technology.
"Today's order of hybrid-electric aircraft exemplifies our commitment to achievable, customer-friendly, carbon-reducing solutions that will offer the lower costs essential to providing vital air service to smaller communities across the country," said JSX CEO and co-founder Alex Wilcox. "As the network airlines order ever-larger aircraft it is inevitable that more and more small markets will be abandoned. 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."
In April 2021, JSX signed a letter of intent with California start-up Odys Aviation covering provisional orders for 200 of its nine-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft, plus options for 400 more. The current status of this agreement is not known.
In May, French start-up Aura Aero unveiled the design for the ERA (which stands for electric regional aircraft) and said that the design for the aircraft is now frozen. This will feature eight electric motors, a pair of turbogenerators, and four battery packs, and it has a projected range of up to 1,000 miles.
Sweden’s Heart Aerospace expects the ES-30 to have a hybrid-electric range of 250 miles, which would decrease to 125 miles when flying solely on battery power or increase to 500 miles when carrying just 25 passengers. The Swedish company says it now holds 250 firm orders, plus options and purchase rights for 120 more and letters of intent covering another 191 units.
Virginia-based Electra is developing a blown-wing design that it says will allow the aircraft to use landing sites as compact as 300 by 100 feet. Its unnamed aircraft is expected to have a range of up to 500 miles. In November, the company started flight-testing a sub-scale technology demonstrator called the EL-2 Goldfinch. Its backlog of firm orders and commitments for more than 1,800 aircraft also includes operators such as helicopter group Bristow.
