Alpine Air Express, a Part 135 on demand air cargo operator, has signed a memorandum of understanding for Aura Aero's electric-thrust regional ERA aircraft.

Alpine Air is a regional airline based in Utah, operating more than 100 daily regional flights transporting freight and packages for all the major delivery companies in the US. It currently owns and operates over 80 Beechcraft airliners for customers, and ERA will help it reach its goal of decarbonising operations.

The MoU sets forth the cooperation between the two companies on the certification of ERA by the FAA, on the operations and customer support services of ERA aircraft and the development of a configuration compliant with Alpine's specific needs.

CEO Michael Dancy says: “I am excited to join forces with Aura Aero in its endeavour to reduce emissions and to increase the efficiency of next generation aircraft. We look forward to operating these aircraft to service our customer base.”

The ERA has a pressurised cabin and is capable of transporting 19 passengers or 1.9 tons of freight, and can also be configured for business aviation. 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. The first entries into commercial service are planned before 2030, and it already boasts an orderbook of over 300 intents.

President and co-founder Jérémy Caussade says: ”We are very proud to have been chosen by Alpine Air to decarbonise its operations in North America. We are convinced that electric is the future of regional aviation, and we are just at the beginning of this revolution.”