Electra’s fast development and prime engineering expertise drive manufacturing of the EL9 ahead
MANASSAS, Va. and BLEIENBACH, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Electra.aero, Inc. (“Electra”) at the moment introduced the enlargement of its services in Manassas, Virginia, and Bleienbach, Switzerland, to assist the corporate’s fast development and the event of its nine-passenger hybrid-electric EL9 Extremely Quick plane.
Electra’s hybrid-electric EL9 Extremely Quick is designed to take off and land in areas as brief as 150 toes.
“Electra is on a mission to remodel aviation, and increasing our services ensures we will proceed attracting the world-class engineering expertise to design, develop, and commercialize our groundbreaking EL9,” mentioned Marc Allen, CEO of Electra. “We’re giving our groups the assets they should get our Extremely Quick plane into the arms of our prospects and ship on the promise of Direct Aviation, making regional air journey extra handy, reasonably priced, and sustainable.”
At its headquarters at Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia, Electra has opened a brand new 15,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot workplace area. The expanded facility will home growth and engineering groups. This addition enhances Electra’s present 36,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Manassas. Electra has greater than doubled the dimensions of its workforce in 2025 and can add dozens extra engineering workforce members within the coming yr.
In Europe, Electra has additionally expanded its R&D heart in Bleienbach, Switzerland, to just about 2,000 sq. toes. The Swiss facility performs a key position in attracting prime European expertise and advancing the corporate’s world engineering and innovation efforts.
Electra’s EL9 is designed to take off and land in areas as brief as 150 toes, utilizing a mixture of hybrid-electric propulsion and blown-lift aerodynamics. This functionality opens 1000’s of latest entry factors starting from small, underserved airports to non-traditional websites resembling parking heaps or fields, enabling a brand new period of Direct Aviation. By bypassing congested hubs, the EL9 will join individuals and locations extra immediately whereas slicing journey time, lowering noise, and decreasing emissions.
Electra has been showcasing the real-world potential of its Extremely Quick takeoff and touchdown capabilities by way of practically two years of profitable flight demonstrations of its two-seat EL2 prototype. This yr, Electra flew business demonstrations from novel airstrips, austere environments, and campus settings at Virginia Tech (video); off-runway working eventualities in partnership with the US Air Pressure Analysis Laboratory (AFRL) at Griffiss Worldwide Airport (towered) in Rome, NY, for AFRL’s Future Flag 25-3 take a look at occasion; and business off-runway demonstrations at Watertown Worldwide Airport (untowered) in upstate New York (video). Collectively, these flights underscore the flexibility of Electra’s platform for each business and protection prospects.
Electra plans to start flight testing the EL9 in 2027, to fly for FAA certification credit score in 2028 and 2029, and to get the airplane licensed and into service in late 2029, into 2030. So far, the corporate has secured greater than 2,200 provisional orders from over 60 prospects worldwide, representing a pipeline of greater than $13 billion. To study extra about how Direct Aviation will rework air journey, watch the announcement video.
