Aviation Industry Innovator JSX Announces Intent to Acquire Electra eSTOL Aircraft

JSX, the world’s only 5-star premium regional air carrier, today announced its intent to acquire Electra's eSTOL aircraft, pledging to pioneer an environmentally sustainable future for small community air service. JSX has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire up to 82 of the 9-seat Electra eSTOL aircraft, with 32 firm orders and 50 options, representing its commitment to the renewal of low-impact regional transportation in North America. Following the Biden Administration’s call last week for the aviation industry to cut carbon emissions and create more good paying U.S. jobs, JSX expects to take delivery of its first hybrid-electric aircraft in 2028, shepherding the next chapter of regional aviation as the first in its category to adopt this impactful cutting-edge renewable energy technology.  

While commercial airlines can serve just 480 airports in the United States, JSX’s small community-friendly Part 135 and Part 380 Public Charter operations, combined with the exceptional performance capabilities of these hybrid-electric airplanes, enables service opportunities to thousands of federally funded airports otherwise inaccessible to people who can’t own or charter an entire aircraft. JSX has mastered the trifecta of marketing, selling, and operating attainable by-the-seat public charter air service to numerous small communities that have no other regular air service. With the Electra eSTOL aircraft JSX can dramatically lower the cost of its service and open new flight options at over 2,000 U.S. airports, stimulating local economies and empowering regional mobility and connectivity for communities devoid of regular air service today. A demonstrated innovator by example, today’s announcement marks another milestone in JSX’s class-defining suite of services and products, a record that includes being the global launch customer for SpaceX’s Starlink inflight Wi-Fi.  

“JSX is, by far, America’s highest rated and most innovative air carrier, and today’s order of hybrid-electric aircraft exemplifies our commitment to achievable, customer-friendly, carbon-reducing solutions that will offer the lower costs essential to providing vital air service to smaller communities across the country,” says Alex Wilcox, JSX CEO & Co-Founder. “As the network airlines order ever-larger aircraft it is inevitable that more and more small markets will be abandoned. Electra, Aura Aero, and Heart Aerospace are visionary organizations that share in JSX’s commitment to serving smaller communities, working together with us to weave sustainable regional air travel back into the fabric of American commerce and freedom of movement.”

The Electra eSTOL (electric Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft is a low-emission airplane designed to transport 9 passengers or 2,500 pounds of cargo with a range of up to 500 nautical miles. It has the unique ability to take off and land in less than 150 feet at very slow speeds with batteries that recharge in-flight, eliminating the need for new ground infrastructure. Electra’s eSTOL aircraft leverages distributed electric propulsion and blown lift as well as a small turbine-powered generator to drive eight electric motors distributed across the wing, providing high lift at low airspeed and low drag at high speed. This enables the aircraft to cleanly and quietly operate closer to where people and cargo need to go, providing air connectivity where it doesn’t exist today, including to small cities and regional airports.  

“Electra is thrilled to be a key part of JSX’s innovative vision for the future of regional air mobility. Our eSTOL aircraft is uniquely positioned to deliver on JSX’s commitment to provide sustainable access to small communities and large cities alike,” says JP Stewart, Electra’s Vice President and General Manager. “As the nation’s most experienced Part 380 operator, JSX provides a “hop-on” regional air service that is reminiscent of a time where flying was an enjoyable experience with large seats, friendly service, frequent direct flights, and low friction.”

The favorable operating economics of the Electra eSTOL aircraft can create thousands of new and expanded air travel options across the United States without the need for government subsidy. Small communities like Del Rio, TX, which lost all commercial air service since the COVID-19 pandemic, is one example of many locales that stand to be reconnected to major cities in a sustainable, cost-effective way.  

For fifty years, Part 380 Public Charter regulations have enabled the innovation and diversified air travel offerings that JSX proudly provides today.  Moreover, JSX is well-prepared to handle the complexities of bringing these new aircraft to new markets. It boasts expert small aircraft maintenance and operating standards that have earned the company continuous accolades from across the aviation industry and routinely passes stringent industry safety audits with flying colors. JSX continues to receive high praise from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for its investments in industry-leading safety and security measures.

Having vetted dozens of environmentally-conscious airplane proposals over the past several years, JSX stands firm in its support of and belief in Electra, which has identified the natural first frontier for scalable low-carbon aviation: using small, fixed-wing regional aircraft that fit within both existing infrastructure and time-tested regulatory parameters, but with dramatically lower operating costs and emissions. JSX plans to roll out the new aircraft as early as 2028, offering point-to-point mobility on state-of-the-art hybrid-electric aircraft in an exciting step forward for regional air travel.

JSX currently operates 48 Embraer E145 family aircraft, each configured to offer 30 seats, and employs over 1,200 Crewmembers.