Electra plans $850M Ohio plant for hybrid-electric short-flight aircraft

Electra will build an $850M plant in Springfield, Ohio to make its nine-passenger hybrid-electric EL9, with capacity for up to 400 aircraft a year.

Electra announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that it will spend $850 million to build its first US manufacturing plant in Springfield, Ohio. The 96-acre facility is expected to create 1,975 jobs and produce the company's nine-passenger hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short aircraft, with initial capacity of up to 400 aircraft per year. Design work begins immediately, and construction is set to start in 2027.

The site sits at Airpark Ohio, next to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport and near Dayton International Airport, where Joby Aviation already operates air taxi manufacturing. Electra is pursuing FAA airworthiness certification for aircraft carrying 19 or fewer passengers, and a first flight is anticipated for late 2027 or early 2028. On July 15 the company signed an R&D agreement with Safran Helicopter Engines for the TG600 turbogenerator, including an initial order of 250 units.

For mobility, hybrid-electric short-takeoff aircraft aim at a gap in regional travel: connecting smaller communities without the fuel burn, noise and infrastructure of conventional aviation. A plant sized for hundreds of aircraft a year suggests the goal is volume rather than a demonstrator, which is what would eventually make such flights common and affordable rather than niche.

The caveats are those of any aircraft program still in development. No opening date was disclosed, the first-flight timing is anticipated rather than confirmed, and certification remains ahead. Site selection alone took about a year, and the road from groundbreaking to routine passenger service is long.

Source: Manufacturing Dive