Surf Air has secured early delivery positions for 90 Electra eSTOL aircraft for integration into its national flight network, which includes Southern Airways Express and Mokulele Airlines, as part of its aim to use its platform to support the launch, growth and optimisation of electrified aircraft. The Electra eSTOL aircraft's ability to take off and land in as little as 150ft will enable direct-to-destination air transportation beyond large airports, at small regional airports and AAM infrastructure, expanding regional transportation to a broader customer base than private aviation currently serves.

Surf Air and Electra will now collaborate on the development of route networks to be served by these aircraft, and Surf Air will be the preferred lessor and provider of Electra aircraft to its customers under its aircraft-as-a-service leasing programme.

Surf Air, along with its data services partners and Electra, will also collaborate on the development of predictive analytics systems to reduce overall operating costs and streamline operations.

"Electra stands out as one of the early market leaders in regional air mobility and we're excited to bring it onto our platform. Its innovations around hybrid-electric, short take off and landing aircraft, which can essentially take off and land on a football field-sized space, will unlock tremendous opportunities within the changing landscape of regional air mobility. We intend to leverage our leading position to become the definitive launch platform for new advanced aircraft technologies such as Electra," says Surf Air CEO Stan Little.

"As the country's largest commuter airline, Surf Air is at the forefront of addressing the growing demand for cleaner, more affordable and convenient travel options. Electra is pleased to partner with it in spearheading the decarbonisation of regional business aviation through the integration of our eSTOL aircraft into its fleet," adds Electra CEO John S Langford.

Traditionally, smaller regional Part 135 operators have not had the same access to aircraft funding options and software services as larger commercial air carriers. Surf Air's aircraft-as-a-service programme is being designed to solve this problem and lower the barrier to entry by providing the necessary financing and software tools to enable a new generation of regional aircraft and air operators to launch, grow and optimise their businesses.

Surf Air continues to develop its own electrified powertrain technology for the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft whose development is supported by an exclusive relationship with Textron Aviation. Surf Air will use its platform to bring the electrified Caravan aircraft to market on a global scale, thus proving what it can do for other aircraft makers as well.

"With billions of dollars being invested into the regional and advanced air mobility space, it's becoming increasingly important for a solution that can on-ramp new technologies and get them into the hands of operators as quickly and safely as possible," says Surf Air VP of business development Jamie Strecke. "Through our air mobility platform and our aircraft-as-a-service programme, we believe we can accelerate Electra's eSTOL aircraft time to market."