Electra, Signature and UrbanV sign Direct Aviation agreement

Electra said the MoU is designed for repeatable deployment across a global network, including passenger and cargo operations.

Electra has signed an agreement with FBO giant Signature Aviation and vertiport developer UrbanV to jointly build a regional mobility system it calls Direct Aviation.

Published in a recent white paper, Electra’s Direct Aviation is designed to enable direct, point-to-point air travel in an effort to capture an estimated 33 million daily journeys in the US between 50 and 250 miles.

“Direct Aviation is about giving people the freedom to travel from where they are to where they want to go without the constraints of traditional aviation models,” said Diana Siegel, vice president, Commercial Programs at Electra. “Electra’s Direct Aviation Market Outlook shows that tens of millions of regional trips are already happening every day across distances where driving is inefficient and traditional aviation is often impractical.”

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) supports three elements of the ecosystem, according to Electra: aircraft, infrastructure and operations.

Together, Electra said these elements enable the use of small, strategically located access points for the public’s increased access to regional air services.

The parties will work jointly to identify and develop access points along core demand centres. The goal is to move efficiently toward site-specific term sheets that define how this new model is deployed in practice.

Massimiliano Pane, executive director, UrbanV said: “Together with Signature Aviation, UrbanV is building an infrastructure platform with deep aviation roots: from FBO electrification and airport-based AAM operations to dedicated vertiport networks and strategically selected off-airport sites. Electra’s ultra-short hybrid-electric aircraft adds a powerful regional mobility use case to this platform.”

Derek DeCross, chief commercial officer, Signature Aviation said: “By combining Electra’s breakthrough aircraft capabilities with UrbanV’s next- generation vertiport vision and Signature’s global network, we have an opportunity to help shape how regional air mobility is deployed and scaled around the world.”