AURA AERO, the French developer of electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to supply Utah-based Alpine Air Express with 75 ERA regional aircraft in its freighter version. This follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the companies in June 2023.
Deliveries are expected to start by 2030, provided the still-under-development ERA aircraft gains certification.
Alpine Air Express currently has a fleet of 80 cargo aircraft, which operate more than 100 daily local and regional cargo flights throughout the United States for logistic operators, such as UPS and the US Postal Service, in addition to online distribution giant Amazon.
According to AURA AERO, in addition to its environmental benefits, by adopting the ERA hybrid-electric aircraft, Alpine Air Express could reduce by 50% the cost per ton of revenue cargo due to lower maintenance and fuel costs. The large, wide cargo doors available on the ERA are said to be another feature that has helped AURA AERO get this order.
After this announcement, AURA AERO’s ERA aircraft order book stands at 570 units, worth a total of US$9 billion.
This deal also represents a significant step in AURA AERO’s plans to establish a US presence.
In July 2024, the French startup announced that it was partnering with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to build a 500,000 sq. ft manufacturing and assembly plant within the university’s research park in Florida.
AURA AERO already has a commercial office in the US, but after this additional investment, its footprint on the other side of the Atlantic is going to be considerably larger.
The new Florida facility will serve as a completion and delivery center for the INTEGRAL family of fully electric light trainer aircraft as well as a final assembly line for the 19-seat hybrid-electric airliner.