French advanced air mobility startup AURA AERO and Gabon-based Afrijet have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding today for multiple electric aircraft at the Paris Air Show. The new purchase agreement enables Afrijet to decarbonize quicker and signals a time for AURA AERO to enter the African electric and hybrid aircraft market. This comes a day after Philippine-based Asian Aerospace signed a Letter of Intent for three electric aircraft with AURA AERO.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the French startup will supply Afrijet with Electric Regional Airliner (ERA) aircraft, a new eco-responsible hybrid-electric aircraft designed with a heavy concentration on multiple avionic, aerodynamic, and propelling innovations. According to AURA AERO, the ERA aircraft is the solution to decarbonizing the regional aviation industry because of its exceptional versatility.

The aircraft is capable of transporting 19 passengers or 1.9 tons of air freight, and can also be configured for business aviation. With the aircraft’s pressurized cabin, the hybrid-electric aircraft also offers an unrivaled level of passenger comfort and has a range of almost 1000 miles (1,600 kilometers). Furthermore, the aircraft is designed to land at the biggest international airports or on short, unprepared runways in rougher terrain.

When the aircraft is delivered and entered into service, ERA will allow Afrijet- the biggest airline in the CEMAC area (Economic Community of Central African States) and operates regular routes between Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Equatorial Guinea, to decarbonate its operations and make new destinations across the region more accessible. Jérémy Caussade, President and Co-Founder of AURA AERO, celebrated the announcement by highlighting the following:

“We are very proud to have been chosen by Afrijet to decarbonize their operations and bring a sustainable solution to regional aviation in Africa. At AURA AERO, we are convinced that electric is the future of regional aviation, and we are just at the beginning of this revolution!”.

There are many available electric and hybrid-electric aircraft in the market, so what made AURA AERO’s ERA aircraft stand out to Afrijet? It is primarily because the ERA aircraft was dubbed the Tesla of the aviation industry when it was first revealed on May 12th during a public presentation. The aircraft has an eight-engine configuration in which two turbogenerators will power.

These turbogenerators are expected to run on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). There will be four electric battery packs in an 800V network that will also power the engines, and altogether, AURA AERO believes the ERA will reduce energy and maintenance costs by at least 50% and carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to the current new generation of conventionally powered aircraft that have fit in the 19-seater category.

Even though the hybrid-electric aircraft has a range of almost 1000 miles (1,600) kilometers, its all-electric range would be no more than an estimated (103 miles) 166 kilometers, and the batteries can recharge fully within 30 minutes. That said, the aircraft will still be flying sustainably on biofuels, so it is a win-win for operators such as Afrijet.

It is very exciting with the ‘Tesla of aviation,’ it will still take multiple years before Afrijet and the world will be able to see the ERA aircraft enter service. Since AURA AERO was founded in 2018, it has already amassed an order book of 300 Letters on the Internet; the aircraft is only expected to have its first flight in 2026. AURA AERO hopes the aircraft will receive its type certification in 2028 and enter into commercial service before 2030.

Source: Simpleflying.com