Leading the Advanced Air Mobility Revolution
Electra was founded with a simple mission: provide affordable air travel without airports, emissions, or noise.
Harnessing a Wealth of Experience
The idea for Ultra Short aircraft was born out of the collaboration of Electra’s founder, John Langford, and a team of researchers at MIT led by Prof. John Hansman and Prof. Mark Drela, in search of an electric aircraft design that would be much more affordable to build and operate than the predominant eVTOL designs. Early analysis and sub-scale flight tests showed the tremendous potential of Ultra Short aircraft to minimize space needed on the ground, while offering sizable range and payload capacity.
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Milestones of Innovation
Today, Electra is backed by major strategic partners and investors, and has proven our Ultra Short technology in piloted flight. Below are a few of the key milestones in the company’s journey.
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January 2026
Bristow Signs Launch Agreement with Electra to Secure First Delivery Slot for EL9 Aircraft
Electra and Bristow Group signed a Pre-Delivery Payment (PDP) deposit agreement with binding terms and conditions securing the first delivery slot for Electra’s EL9 Ultra Short hybrid-electric aircraft.
December 2025
Electra Applies for FAA Type Certification for Groundbreaking EL9 Ultra Short Aircraft
Electra submitted an application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Part 23 type certification of its nine-passenger EL9 hybrid-electric Ultra Short aircraft.
September 2025
Electra Completes Participation in Air Force Research Lab’s Future Flag 25-3 Test Event
Electra participated in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Future Flag 25-3 test event in Rome, NY, which took place in late August to early September.
April 2025
Electra Raises $115 Million to Pioneer the World’s First Ultra Short Aircraft
Electra secured $115 million in Series B funding to enter the pre-production and certification phase of the EL9, the first-ever Ultra Short aircraft, which can take off and land in 150 feet.
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AUGUST 2024
Electra Names B. Marc Allen as Chief Executive Officer
Marc Allen joins Electra after a distinguished career at The Boeing Company, where he most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President for Strategy and Corporate Development.
JULY 2024
Partnering with Honeywell
Honeywell agrees to supply safety-critical flight control computers and actuation for Electra’s production Ultra Short aircraft, and becomes a strategic investor alongside existing partners Lockheed Martin and Safran.
MAY 2024
Proving the Ultra Short
A few months after its first flights, the Goldfinch proved that a conventional fixed-wing aircraft with blown-lift could take off and land in less than 150 ft of space on the ground.
FEBRUARY 2024
Pre-orders exceed 2,000 Ultra Short aircraft
Over the course of the development program, commercial customer interest continued to grow culminating in the 2000th aircraft pre-order following agreements with JSX, Surf Air, JetSetGo, Charm Aviation, and LYGG in early 2024.
NOVEMBER 2023
EL2 first flight
After two years of development and rigorous ground testing, Electra’s piloted technology demonstrator aircraft, the EL2 Goldfinch, took to the skies for the first time on November 11, 2023.
JANUARY 2023
Partnership with
the US Air Force
The Air Force awarded Electra a Strategic Funding Partnership valued up to $85M to develop and flight test the eSTOL technology.
2022
Flying Electra’s first
zero-emissions research aircraft
Over the summer of 2022, Electra’s intern program supported the build and flight test of Harvard University’s zero-emissions, solar-electric research aircraft, which the team flight tested for the first time on September 9, 2022.
2021
Hybrid-electric iron bird
After more than a year of internal development, we tested our fully integrated, hybrid-electric propulsion system at Electra’s R&D facility in Bleienbach, Switzerland.
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2020
The Idea
Electra was launched by serial aerospace entrepreneur Dr. John Langford, founder and former CEO of Aurora Flight Sciences, with MIT Professors John Hansman and Mark Drela joining as key technical advisors.
Our Customers
Electra is partnering with air mobility innovators globally to bring sustainable, high-speed mobility to every community. With more than 2,200 aircraft on pre-order from over 60 operators on every major continent, Electra's Ultra Short aircraft is trusted to revolutionize air mobility and provide a practical path to decarbonizing aviation.
Join the New Era of Aviation
Get exclusive updates on flight tests, partnerships, and milestones as we introduce the world's first hybrid-electric Ultra Short aircraft.
