French regional carrier Pan Europeenne Air Service has made a firm commitment to the Aura Aero ERA – the first such agreement for the 19-seat hybrid-electric aircraft.

The private airline, based in Chambery, operates a fleet of Embraer ERJ regional jets as well as the Brazilian manufacturer’s Phenom light executive models.

It specialises in tailored business flights and also has a station at Lyon’s Bron airport.

Aura Aero has not disclosed the number of aircraft covered by the agreement. Pan Europeenne had provisionally signed for four in mid-2023.

But Aura says the carrier has been supporting the ERA programme “from the outset”.

“As the first airline to make a firm commitment for ERA, Pan Europeenne confirms…its pioneering role in decarbonised aviation,” it says.

“The company aims to be one of the first in the world to operate a hybrid-electric aircraft with paying passengers.”

Pan Europeenne’s commitment, it adds, shifts ERA from a “dynamic of development” to a “phase of implementation”.

ERA has evolved into an eight-motor design, equipped with the Safran ENGINeUS electric powerplant and two turbogenerators.

Aura Aero says the aircraft will “automatically alternate” between electric and hybrid modes, depending on the phase of flight.

It intends the ERA to operate over ranges up to 900nm (1,500km).

“The technological and industrial choices made in the design and production of ERA since the launch of the company have always proved extremely relevant,” state Pan Europeenne founders Antoine Foessel and Clement Jacquot.

“It was only natural that we chose this aircraft in order to be able to offer the first decarbonised air transport service in history.”

Aura Aero claims letters of intent for the ERA covering nearly 700 airframes, with potential value of $12 billion.

“Pan Europeenne is much more than a launch customer,” says president Jeremy Caussade. “It is a trusted partner that has been with us since the beginning of the ERA programme.”