Surf Air Mobility and Electra enter bilateral agreement to bring eSTOL aircraft to market

Surf Air Mobility and Electra.aero joined forces to introduce affordable, sustainable, and easily accessible regional air travel to a broad customer base leveraging Electra hybrid eSTOL aircraft on Surf Air technology-driven, on-demand air mobility platform, and through Surf Air Aircraft-as-a-Service offering to air operators. Surf Air has secured early delivery positions for 90 Electra eSTOL aircraft for integration into the Surf Air national flight network including Southern Airways Express and Mokulele Airlines, as part of Surf Air aim to use its platform to support the launch, growth, and optimization of new electrified aircraft. The ability of Electra eSTOL aircraft to take off and land in as little as 150 feet will enable direct-to-destination air transportation beyond large airports, including small regional airports and novel AAM infrastructure, expanding regional transportation to a broader customer base than private aviation currently serves. 

Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility, commented: “Electra stands out as one of the early market leaders in regional air mobility, and we’re excited to bring them onto our platform. Their innovations around hybrid-electric, short takeoff and landing aircraft—which can essentially take off and land on a football field-sized space—will unlock tremendous opportunities within the changing landscape of regional air mobility. We intend to leverage our leading position to become the definitive launch platform for new advanced aircraft technologies such as Electra.” 

John S. Langford, founder and CEO of Electra, said: “As the country’s largest commuter airline, Surf Air is at the forefront of addressing the growing demand for cleaner, more affordable and convenient travel options. Electra is pleased to partner with Surf Air in spearheading the decarbonization of regional business aviation through the integration of our eSTOL aircraft into their fleet.” 

Jamie Strecker, VP of Business Development for Surf Air Mobility, stated: “With billions of dollars being invested into the regional and advanced air mobility space, it’s becoming increasingly important for a solution that can on-ramp new technologies and get them into the hands of operators as quickly and safely as possible. Through our air mobility platform and our Aircraft-as-a-Service program, we believe we can accelerate Electra eSTOL aircraft time to market.”

The agreement between Surf Air and Electra highlights several key points of collaboration:

• Surf Air secures preferred delivery positions on 90 eSTOL aircraft from Electra
• Surf Air and Electra will collaborate on the development of route networks to be served by Surf Air’s air mobility network leveraging the Electra eSTOL aircraft
• Surf Air is the preferred lessor and provider of Electra eSTOL aircraft to Surf Air customers under its Aircraft-as-a-Service leasing program
• Surf Air, its data services partner(s), and Electra will collaborate on the development of predictive analytics systems to reduce overall operating costs and streamline operations.

Traditionally, smaller regional Part 135 operators have not had the same access to aircraft funding options and software services as larger commercial air carriers. Surf Air’s Aircraft-as-a-Service program is being designed to solve this problem and lower the barrier to entry by providing the necessary financing and software tools to enable a new generation of regional aircraft and air operators to launch, grow, and optimize their businesses.

In addition to supporting the growth and distribution of innovative sustainable aircraft, such as the Electra eSTOL, Surf Air continues to develop its own electrified powertrain technology for the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft whose development is supported by an exclusive relationship with Textron Aviation. Surf Air will use its platform to bring the electrified Caravan aircraft to market on a global scale, thus proving what it can do for other aircraft makers as well.