As Electra's eSTOL aircraft have grown in popularity, charter operator Welojets has signed a letter of intent to acquire 32 of the aircraft. During the NBAA-BACE business aviation trade show on October 18, the Virginia-based startup announced it has a provisional order book with 1,000 aircraft valued at $3 billion, implying a $3 million list price.

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We have a wide range of customers in the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia, including regional airlines, urban air mobility providers, charter groups, helicopter operators, and emergency medical services providers. There are many companies that contribute to this industry, including Bristow Group, Flyv, Ebird, Harbour Air, Tailwind Air, Ravn Alaska, MintAir, Events Air Cargo, Flapper, Yugo, Gold Aviation, Skyportz, Northwest Seaplanes, and El Azufre resort.

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Welojets, which operates a fleet of business aircraft in Europe and the Americas, said its interest in the eSTOL aircraft is part of a plan to develop new markets in a more sustainable way. Its employees are spread across 20 locations.

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The Electra model is now capable of carrying nine passengers or 2,500 pounds of freight on sectors up to 400 nautical miles.

In addition to its short-takeoff-and-landing performance, its cruise speed will be 175 knots. A two-seat technology demonstrator is expected to be ready for testing by the end of the year.

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“Welojets fully embraces the electric aviation revolution and we are thrilled to work on Electra to deliver cleaner and cost-effective flights to our customers,” Lisdero added. “We plan to fly the Electra eSTOL aircraft into existing airports as well as use it to expand our operations into new markets that cannot be served currently with traditional fixed-wing aircraft. Thanks to the Electra aircraft’s cost and performance advantages, we see many opportunities to grow our services throughout Europe and Latin America.”

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