Semi-private US carrier JSX inks deals to buy more than 300 hybrid-electric aircraft

• Semi-private air carrier JSX has announced its intent to buy more than 300 hybrid-electric planes.
• The aircraft are set to come from three different manufacturers and have at least 500-mile ranges.
• JSX's public charter business offers the perks of flying private without the high price tag.

With increasing concerns about aviation's impact on climate change, global airlines are investing millions of dollars to try to decarbonize air travel.

The latest example came this week when semi-private US air carrier JSX announced tentative agreements for 332 hybrid-electric aircraft to power its growing regional network.

JSX, which flies scheduled public charters that allow passengers avoid busy airports, said it intends to buy from three hybrid-electric planemakers: France-based Aura Aero, US startup Electra, and Sweden's Heart Aerospace. All of these planes still are in development and years away from passenger use. JSX doesn't expect its first delivery until 2028.

Specifically, the announced deal includes up to 82 of the nine-seat Electra eSTOL aircraft, up to 100 of the 30-seat Heart Aerospace ES-30, and up to 150 of the 19-seat Aura Aero Era.

Considered the best of both worlds, hybrid-electric aircraft use a mix of electricity and traditional jet fuel, or sustainable aviation fuel, to propel the plane. Batteries or fuel cells typically power the electric motors.

These aircraft are gaining popularity because they are traditional fixed-wing aircraft and take off like an airplane, which JSX said helps them "fit within both existing infrastructure and time-tested regulatory parameters."

Comparing the three hybrid-electric designs, the aircraft all have varying ranges and recharge capabilities. According to the manufacturers, each promises a range stretching at least 500 miles — providing JSX flexibility in its goal of bridging larger airports with smaller markets.

According to JSX, 480 US airports are served by commercial airlines, but there are thousands of other federally funded airports across the US that are currently "inaccessible to people who can't own or charter an entire aircraft."

This is because smaller communities are expensive to operate aircraft in and typically need government subsidies to be profitable, putting commercial airlines off.

JSX, however, said it sees this gap as an expansion opportunity as the "favorable operating economics" of hybrid-electric planes could make affordable travel to these smaller markets possible for both the company and the customer.

The air carrier pointed to small communities like Del Rio, Texas, as an airport that lost all commercial air service since the pandemic, noting it as "one example of many locales that stand to be reconnected to major cities in a sustainable, cost-effective way."

"As the network airlines order ever-larger aircraft it is inevitable that more and more small markets will be abandoned," JSX CEO and co-founder Alex Wilcox said. "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."

In addition to their potential profitability in regional airports, the hybrid-electric aircraft meet the specific needs of another key aspect of JSX's unique business model.

As a public charter operator, JSX passengers book online and share a plane with other customers. Unlike commercial carriers like Delta and United, however, travelers will depart from a private terminal and face minimal security.

The company uses a regulatory technicality to operate under the more flexible rules, which restrict JSX's planes to just 30 seats.

While competitors contend the business model can pose security and safety concerns, JSX has maintained it is not exploiting any loophole, Aviation International News reported.

As the law reads today, any future aircraft JSX wants to operate as a public charter would need to meet the 30-seat criteria, and all three hybrid-electric options do.

JSX isn't the only North American carrier to take an interest in hybrid-electric aircraft. Air Canada, as well as United and its regional partner Mesa Airlines, have also ordered Heart Aerospace's future 30-seater plane.

Meanwhile, Ravn Alaska — another small airline serving small communities — has ordered the Electra eSTOL, and US regional carrier Republic Airways has signed a memorandum of understanding to support the development of Aura Aero's Era plane.