Electra secures 2,200 ultra-STOL EL9 aircraft preorders worth nearly $9 billion
Virginia-based startup Electra has secured 2,200 preorders for its ultra-short takeoff and landing (STOL) EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft, in a huge vote of confidence for the developer.
Electra announced on March 20, 2025, that preorders are now valued at almost $9 billion with Akansel (Turkey) and Dieng & Co Engineering (Senegal) in partnership with Flow Aero (US/Turkey) among the company’s recent customers.
Celebrating the news, Electra said that the developer’s order pipeline is one of the “largest in the Advanced Air Mobility industry”.
Electra’s EL9 combines blown lift technology and hybrid-electric propulsion to land on runways as short as 150 feet (45 meters) enabling it to rival helicopter access.
“Electra’s Ultra Short is the unlock for a new era of air travel – what we call Direct Aviation – that is as transformative as it’s practical,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “Hybrid-electric propulsion enables us to achieve what jet fuel alone can’t do; we’ve created a fixed-wing airplane that delivers the access of a helicopter with 100 times less noise, 70 percent lower cost, improved safety, and dramatically reduced emissions.”
The nine-passenger EL9 delivers up to 3,000 pounds of payload capacity and a range up to 1,100 nautical miles, with in-flight battery recharging that eliminates the need for ground charging infrastructure.
On November 13, 2024, Electra revealed the design of its future EL9. Electra has been testing most of this technology on a smaller scale demonstrator aircraft, the two-seater EL2 Goldfinch, which first flew in November 2023.
Among Electra’s other recent customers are Caverton Helicopters (Nigeria), Copenhagen Helicopter and Copenhagen Air Taxi (Denmark), 5 Star Helicopter Tours (US), Global Vectra Helicorp (India), and Helicidade Heilporto (Brazil).
“The response from the global aviation industry has been tremendous. Our customers see the EL9 aircraft as a true game-changer, and they’re using its ultra-short takeoff capabilities to open the door to new routes in areas with space and noise constraints. Together, we’re enabling a fundamental leap forward in advanced air mobility,” added Allen.
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Virginia-based startup Electra has secured 2,200 preorders for its ultra-short takeoff and landing (STOL) EL9 hybrid-electric aircraft, in…
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