Alpine Air and AURA AERO, French aircraft manufacturer and pioneer in low-carbon aviation, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at Paris Air Show for ERA, the electric-thrust 19-seater regional aircraft.

Alpine Air is a regional airline based in Utah, USA, operating some 100+ daily regional flights transporting freight and packages for all the major delivery companies in the USA. ERA will help Alpine Air reach its goal of decarbonizing its operations. Alpine currently owns/operates over 80 Beechcraft airliners for its customers.

The Memorandum of Understanding sets forth the cooperation between AURA AERO and Alpine Air on the certification of ERA in the US, by the FAA, on the operations and customer support services of ERA aircraft and the development of a configuration compliant with Alpine Air’s specific needs.

ERA is a brand new eco-responsible aircraft. Concentrating many avionic, aerodynamic and propelling innovations, it is the solution to the decarbonization of regional aviation. It is an exceptionally versatile aircraft: capable of transporting 19 passengers or 1.9 tons of freight, it can also be configured for business aviation. With its pressurized cabin and offering an unrivalled level of passenger comfort on this type of aircraft, it has a range of up to 1,600 km and can land in the biggest international airports as well as on short, unprepared runways.

ERA, whose first entries into commercial service are planned before 2030, already boasts an orderbook of over 300 Letters Of Intent/Memorandums of Understanding, ERA is an economic solution for its users, in terms of both energy and maintenance costs and already addresses the environmental challenges of the 21st century, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to thermal aircraft in the same category.

For Jérémy CAUSSADE, President and co-founder of AURA AERO: ”We are very proud to have been chosen by Alpine Air to decarbonize their operations in North America.” He adds: “At AURA AERO, we are convinced that electric is the future of regional aviation, and we are just at the beginning of this revolution!”

Alpine Air CEO, Mr. Michael DANCY remarked: “I am excited to join forces with AURA AERO in their endeavor to reduce emissions and to increase the efficiency of next generation aircraft. We look forward to operating these aircraft for servicing our customer base.”