French electric and hybrid aircraft developer AURA AERO announced on March 2, 2026, that it has received the first firm order for its future ERA airliner.
The ERA is a 19-seater hybrid-electric regional airliner with a range of up to 900 miles (1,500 km). AURA AERO claims that thanks to its hybrid propulsion system it will be able to reduce carbon emissions by 80% compared to similar aircraft using only thermal propulsion.
Although the French startup had signed Letters of Intent (LoI) with up to 16 different air operators from around the world for more than 700 ERA aircraft, this is the first firm customer commitment.
The acquirer, which will become the ERA’s launch customer, is Pan Européenne Air Service (PEAS), a French executive aviation operator based in Lyon (LYS) and Chambery (CMF), France.
According to the ch-aviation database, as of March 2026, Pan Européenne Air Service operates a fleet of five aircraft, all of them Embraers: an EMB-135LR, an EMB-145LR, a Phenom 100E, a Phenom 300 and a Phenom 300E.
In a press release announcing the order, Antoine Foessel and Clément Jacquot, co-CEOs and owners of Pan Européenne Air Service: “It was only natural that we chose this aircraft in order to be able to offer the first decarbonized air transport service in history.”
AURA AERO plans to build the ERA at a greenfield facility next to its current industrial facility at Toulouse-Francazal Airport (QYF), in the south of France.
The French manufacturer is targeting 2030 for the ERA’s certification and entry into service.