Charter booking platform KinectAir plans to use Electra’s nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft to develop point-to-point regional air mobility services in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. Under an initial agreement announced on February 28, KinectAir says it intends to add up to 30 of the hybrid-electric short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft to a fleet that several of its operating partners would own.
The exact terms of the provisional transaction were not disclosed but Electra said that Washington-based KinectAir will “facilitate” the purchase. KinectAir said that the aircraft will be distributed among its FAA Part 135-certified operators when delivered, as anticipated, in 2027.
The KinectAir platform currently offers one-way and round-trip whole aircraft charter flights operated by a couple of commercial operators with a mix of eight-seat Pilatus PC-12 turboprop singles and five-passenger, twin-engined Diamond DA62s. The company provides operators with its software, which it says maximizes fleet utilization and provides competitive pricing for travelers.
KinectAir is seeking to add operators to its network and would also like to expand it to other regions of the U.S. and to Europe. The company is in the process of applying for its own Part 135 air operator certificate.
Takeoff and Land with 300 Feet of Runway
The Electra eSTOL model’s exceptional short-takeoff performance, requiring landing strips of just 300 feet, could open more convenient route options for charter operators and their customers. The aircraft, which could carry 2,500 pounds in freight services, is expected to have a range of up to around 400 nm and a cruise speed of 175 knots. The manufacturer says that it could access some 5,200 underutilized public airports in the U.S. with the blown-lift design.
“Out of over 40,000 itineraries entered into our software, 83 percent of customers want to bypass the largest 30 airport hubs in order to use only point-to-point airport pairs,” said KinectAir CEO Jonathan Evans. “We have found that our customers book an average flight distance of 215 miles, so we know from our software data that the sweet spot for regional air mobility is between 100 and 300 miles.”
For now, the Kinect Air platform is offering whole-aircraft charters. However, it aims to support per-seat on-demand bookings by the time the Electra eSTOL aircraft enters service that would allow for ridesharing on regional flights. The company pointed to a September 2022 NASA-funded study by Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Aerospace Engineering that found many passengers would fly distances over 100 miles ahead of other modes of transportation if given the option to begin and end their journeys in convenient local airports.
Virginia-based Electra, which says it is close to starting flight testing with a two-seat technology demonstrator, has reported letters of intent covering 1,200 aircraft at a list price of approximately $3 million. Other prospective customers in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia include WeloJets, Bristow Group, Flyv, Ebird, Harbour Air, Tailwind Air, Ravn Alaska, MintAir, Events Air Cargo, Flapper, Yugo, Gold Aviation, Northwest Seaplanes, and the El Azufre resort.
“Electra’s hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft provides a better way of moving people and cargo on regional routes faster and cleaner than alternative means of travel,” commented the company's chief product officer, Marc Ausman. “KinectAir provides that missing link and we will work closely with the KinectAir team to integrate Electra’s eSTOL into their extended regional air mobility network.”
In 2021, KinectAir announced plans to offer fractional shares in the Cassio family of hybrid-electric aircraft being developed by France-based VoltAero. The company says this provisional agreement for an unspecified number of aircraft is still in place, with the launch of the commercial offering on hold for now. The Cassio aircraft, carrying between four and 10 passengers, would have a range of almost 700 nm and speeds of up to 200 knots.
