Jérémy Caussade rubs his hands. Four years after having co-founded Aura Aero, an aeronautical start-up installed in a hangar, at the edge of the runways of the former air base of Toulouse Francazal (Haute-Garonne), the 36-year-old president announces, “happy and proud”that ERA, the electric-powered regional aircraft, begins its commercial take-off.
The small nineteen-seater aircraft has just garnered 130 letters of intent from nine airlines. Among them is the French Twin Jet, which has signed an intention to purchase twenty-five aircraft. The Maltese Elit’Avia and the Brazilian Dux have reserved twenty planes each, while the French companies Flying Green, the Swiss FMS and the Gabonese Afrijet have committed themselves for ten aircraft each. The key to these acquisition promises is a business volume of 3.3 billion euros.
In all, counting the 200 copies already signed with the Irish rental company Amedeo, ERA totals more than 330 order intentions. Proof that the “electric revolution” of aeronautics, of which the president of Aura Aero speaks, is on the move and that the small aircraft manufacturer is well positioned to play the leading role. “It’s an important step and it’s the beginning of the story. These letters of intent show us that we are on the right track”rejoices Jérémy Caussade.
“Aviation decarbonization is not optional. We can no longer ignore global warming and we must make this transition.continues the boss, a former employee of Airbus and Airbus Helicopters, who likes to draw a parallel between his young shoot, which he claims as the biggest in France, and Tesla, the American car manufacturer of electric cars. “The trajectory of this company is noteworthy and interesting to watch as it turned a vision into a tangible reality. It is an industrial challenge”he said.
“Intervene in remote places”
However, for the Toulouse company, everything remains to be done. Indeed, this plane is not yet born. The flight of the first prototype is expected in 2025 and the market launch is scheduled for the end of 2027. But if the device does not yet exist, its principle of operation is clearly defined.
The 20-meter wingspan aircraft will be able to take off and land on 800-meter runways and fly distances of less than 600 kilometers
Electric and offered in three versions (cargo, passenger and freight), the aircraft will be able to transport passengers and goods. “It comes in addition to the failing land resourcesexplains Jérémy Caussade. It can intervene in remote places, where there are mountains, with outlying populations to meet primary human needs. »
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