Surf Air Mobility and Azul Conecta form agreement to incorporate Electric Powertrains into Azul’s Cessna Caravan Fleet

Surf Air Mobility Inc. the air mobility platform transforming regional flying through electrification, and Azul S.A. the largest airline in Brazil, have agreed to collaborate on the commercial deployment of electric Cessna Caravan within Azul’s existing fleet. By electrifying its Cessna Caravan fleet, Azul believes they can take a meaningful step toward their goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2045. Surf Air Mobility is targeting certification of its proprietary electrified powertrain in 2026 in the U.S. In doing so, Azul and Surf Air Mobility hope to be a catalyst for change within South America and global leaders in regional air mobility (“RAM”).

Identify the necessary prerequisites for development of Surf Air Mobility’s proprietary technology in Brazil

Conduct a technical exchange on the Brazilian regulatory and infrastructural requirements to operate an aircraft with electric powertrain

Seek to understand how electric powertrain can be applied to Azul Conecta’s Cessna Caravan aircraft and operations

Seek to implement electric powertrains in Azul’s existing Cessna Caravan aircraft

The companies believe their shared vision for improving aviation’s environmental impact positions them to accelerate development and time to market of electric aircraft. By directly collaborating on both the technical and regulatory specifications of electric Cessna Caravan, the companies intend to create a clearer pathway for certification of electrified aircraft within Brazil.

“It’s important for Surf Air Mobility to develop our technology with operators that will be the direct beneficiaries of the coming transition to electrified aircraft. We’re very excited to work with Azul to help us design our technology and define how our electric powertrains can best be deployed within an existing regional network in order for passengers to gain as much benefit from the technology as possible,” said Stan Little, CEO of Surf Air Mobility. “With Azul’s support, we believe we can further accelerate the Supplemental Type Certification process and bring the technology to market faster and with more certainty.”

Surf Air Mobility - the air mobility platform transforming regional flying through electrification, has reported its third-quarter results.

Surf Air Mobility - the air mobility platform transforming regional flying through electrification, has reported its third-quarter results and announced that it remains on track to meet its full-year 2023 guidance. 

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

• Completed public listing on the NYSE, allowing Surf Air to close our merger with Southern Airways and solidify our contractual agreements with strategic partners Textron Aviation, Jetstream Aviation Capital, and GEM Global Yield.
• Confirmed our order with Textron Aviation and paid the deposit for the purchase of 100 Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft, with 11 to be delivered into service during 2024.
• Purchased a number of spare engines to mitigate the industry-wide supply chain issues and return the fleet to normal operations over the next one to two quarters.
• Saw a sizable increase in our On-Demand business with 63% growth in flights year-over-year for the third quarter on a pro forma basis, and 55% growth in flights year-over-year for the nine months year-to-date on a pro forma basis.
• Made significant progress on the buildout of our Electrification business by finalizing a data license agreement with Textron Aviation, thus de-risking the electrification timeline.
• Advanced the engineering and design specifications of our electrification program in collaboration with our lead partner, AeroTEC. Additionally, we are actively engaging with supply chain vendors to source the key components for our electrified powertrain.
• Finalized our exclusive sales and marketing agreement with Textron Aviation that Surf Air anticipates will activate a viable channel to significant market share with our electrified powertrains.
• Forged a partnership with REGENT – a company pioneering all-electric Seaglider airships – to be their launch customer in Hawaii, and to establish a base of operations for passenger service in South Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.
• Restructured our funding facility with GEM with new terms providing more flexibility in how, and when, Surf Air makes cash draws, providing on-going access to up to $400 million of capital.

“We are making solid progress toward our long-term goal of expanding the airline network and advancing our electrified aircraft program with proprietary powertrain technology. Over time, this will enable us to bring other innovative electric aircraft to market, lowering operating costs and driving growth for the entire regional air mobility market,” said Stan Little, Surf Air’s chief executive officer.

Surf Air Mobility reports revenue growth in third quarter 2023

Surf Air Mobility - the air mobility platform transforming regional flying through electrification, has reported its third-quarter results and announced that it remains on track to meet its full-year 2023 guidance. 

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

• Completed public listing on the NYSE, allowing Surf Air to close our merger with Southern Airways and solidify our contractual agreements with strategic partners Textron Aviation, Jetstream Aviation Capital, and GEM Global Yield.
• Confirmed our order with Textron Aviation and paid the deposit for the purchase of 100 Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft, with 11 to be delivered into service during 2024.
• Purchased a number of spare engines to mitigate the industry-wide supply chain issues and return the fleet to normal operations over the next one to two quarters.
• Saw a sizable increase in our On-Demand business with 63% growth in flights year-over-year for the third quarter on a pro forma basis, and 55% growth in flights year-over-year for the nine months year-to-date on a pro forma basis.
• Made significant progress on the buildout of our Electrification business by finalizing a data license agreement with Textron Aviation, thus de-risking the electrification timeline.
• Advanced the engineering and design specifications of our electrification program in collaboration with our lead partner, AeroTEC. Additionally, we are actively engaging with supply chain vendors to source the key components for our electrified powertrain.
• Finalized our exclusive sales and marketing agreement with Textron Aviation that Surf Air anticipates will activate a viable channel to significant market share with our electrified powertrains.
• Forged a partnership with REGENT – a company pioneering all-electric Seaglider airships – to be their launch customer in Hawaii, and to establish a base of operations for passenger service in South Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean.
• Restructured our funding facility with GEM with new terms providing more flexibility in how, and when, Surf Air makes cash draws, providing on-going access to up to $400 million of capital.

“We are making solid progress toward our long-term goal of expanding the airline network and advancing our electrified aircraft program with proprietary powertrain technology. Over time, this will enable us to bring other innovative electric aircraft to market, lowering operating costs and driving growth for the entire regional air mobility market,” said Stan Little, Surf Air’s chief executive officer.

Surf Air Mobility confirms order for 100 aircraft

Surf Air Mobility pays a deposit for first 20 aircraft with deliveries beginning in the first half of 2024

Surf Air Mobility, a regional air mobility platform aiming to sustainably connect the world’s communities, confirmed its exclusive relationship with Textron Aviation Inc, upon the completion of its public market debut. Today the company announced that deliveries of the first 20 Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft are expected to begin in the first half of 2024. This exclusive relationship supports Surf Air Mobility’s development of an electrified Cessna Grand Caravan EX, targeting FAA certification in 2026. Surf Air Mobility has agreed to purchase up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft, with a confirmed initial fleet order of 100 aircraft and an option for 50 more. The aircraft will be upgraded to Surf Air Mobility’s proprietary electric or hybrid-electric powertrain technology by Surf Air Mobility.

Through this exclusive agreement, Surf Air Mobility plans to make electrified aircraft broadly available to new and existing operators, and to bring the benefits of lower cost, lower emission air travel at scale to customers. Surf Air Mobility will also be the exclusive provider to Textron Aviation of certain battery electric and hybrid electric powertrain technology for the Cessna Grand Caravan.

“We know from our experience that people are looking for faster, affordable, and cleaner regional travel, and we are building the ecosystem to accelerate the industry’s adoption of electric flight. We believe that significantly reducing the emissions from this category of aircraft will be the biggest step we can take toward de-carbonization in this decade,” said Sudhin Shahani, co-founder of Surf Air Mobility.

Surf Air Mobility signs agreement to merge with Southern Airways Corporation

Surf Air Mobility, a company working to accelerate the adoption of green aviation, announces today that it has entered into a definitive agreement, subject to closing conditions and regulatory approval, which will result in a merger with Southern Airways Corporation, parent company of one of America’s largest commuter airlines. Southern Airways serves 39 cities across the Mid-Atlantic, Gulf South, Rocky Mountains, West Coast, New England, Hawaii, and soon the Far Pacific. The merger will establish the Company as the country’s leading air mobility platform with scheduled routes and on-demand charter flights operated by Southern and other third-party operators.

The definitive agreement coincides with Surf Air Mobility’s announcement that it plans to go public through a merger with Tuscan Holdings Corp. II, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions.

The merger with Southern Airways, along with its affiliated brand, Mokulele Airlines, will enable the combined companies to create a national air travel platform and to accelerate efforts to commercialize hybrid-electric aircraft. The ability to serve more consumers through the integration with Southern, the largest passenger operator of Cessna Caravans in North America, provides Surf Air with a powerful foundation to introduce its proprietary electrified powertrain technology to the market.

Surf Air Mobility intends to upgrade Southern’s current fleet of nearly 40 Cessna Grand Caravans to hybrid-electric aircraft using technology developed along with magniX and AeroTEC, two pioneers and market leaders in aviation innovation and electrification. Cessna Grand Caravans are the most prolific aircraft in their category, with over 2,800 delivered.

“Southern Airways sees the regional routes between 50 and 500 miles that we’re currently flying as the quickest, most practical solution for bringing electric air travel to market. We’re excited to be a part of Surf Air Mobility’s mission to electrify aviation and to bring sustainable innovation to market faster,” said Stan Little, Chairman and CEO of Southern Airways, who will continue to run the airline post-merger and will serve as president of Surf Air Mobility.

“The addition of Southern Airways will allow us to more rapidly bring green flying solutions to real flyers,” said Carl Albert, Chairman of Surf Air Mobility. “Southern’s fleet of Cessna Caravans will be the foundation for the next generation of aircraft as we upgrade the fleet to hybrid electric powertrains. Our first generation of electrified aircraft will meaningfully decarbonize aviation and help alleviate the environmental impact of flying by targeting emission reductions by as much as 25 percent versus conventional propulsion systems.”

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Surf Air Mobility enters into exclusive agreements with AeroTEC and MagniX to accelerate development of electrified commercial aircraft

Photo: Business Wire

Surf Air Mobility, a company working to accelerate the adoption of green aviation, announced today it has entered into contracts with magniX, a leader in electric aviation propulsion, and AeroTEC, a premier aircraft development and integration company, to develop and certify hybrid and fully-electric powertrains for new and existing Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. These hybrid and fully-electric aircraft will be designed to reduce operating costs and emissions and greatly improve the affordability of regional air mobility.

 SAM has also announced today that the Company has entered into a business combination agreement with Tuscan Holdings Corp. II (“THCA”), that will result, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, in SAM becoming a publicly listed company.

SAM plans to develop supplemental type certificates (“STC”) for its proprietary electrification solutions, powered by magniX’s market-leading electric propulsion units (“EPUs”). AeroTEC will provide engineering, testing, program management, and certification expertise to support design, development, and FAA Certification. magniX and AeroTEC have successfully flown a fully-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B, demonstrating the technology and proving the feasibility of the future of electrified air travel.

“AeroTEC’s capabilities, deep experience in design, engineering and program management of certification of STCs are well known. magniX is a leader in the development of aircraft electric propulsion systems and innovation. AeroTEC and magniX are perfect partners for SAM to accelerate electrification of Cessna Grand Caravans and to lead the new era of green flying,” said Sudhin Shahani, Co-founder and CEO of Surf Air Mobility.

Surf Air Mobility to go public through $1.42 billion merger with Tuscan Holdings

Surf Air Mobility, a company working to accelerate the adoption of green aviation, and Tuscan Holdings Corp. II, a publicly listed special purpose acquisition company, jointly announced today that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement resulting, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions, in Surf Air Mobility becoming a publicly listed company.

The acquisition of Southern, also announced today, and the completion of the business combination with THCA (together, the “Transactions”) positions SAM to be a leader in the electrification of commercial aviation, providing it with resources necessary to bring electrified powertrain technology to market and expanding and electrifying regional consumer scheduled and charter flight services. Following completion of the Transactions, and the successful deployment of SAM’s proprietary powertrain technology, SAM plans to deploy the world’s largest fleet of hybrid-electric aircraft on regional routes being serviced today and on additional routes in new markets. SAM intends for its hybrid-electric propulsion to reduce operating costs and reduce emissions from regional air travel by offering original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”) and third-party operators the ability to upgrade existing aircraft to hybrid electric powertrains.

“We believe deploying hybrid-electric propulsion technology on existing aircraft at scale will be the most significant step we can take toward decarbonization of aviation in this decade,” said Sudhin Shahani, Co-founder and CEO of Surf Air Mobility. “We’re at a moment when the increasing consumer demand for faster, affordable, and cleaner regional travel will be met with SAM’s electrification ecosystem to accelerate the industry’s adoption of green flying.”

SAM’s agreements with AeroTEC and magniX will help the Company accelerate the introduction of its proprietary electrification technology. magniX has successfully flown the world’s largest fully-electric aircraft to date, a prototype Cessna Grand Caravan 208B, which it calls the eCaravan. SAM is designing its initial hybrid-electric Cessna Grand Caravans to have the same flight range capabilities as their fully combustion counterparts, which will allow the Company to utilize the hybrid electric Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft across its own existing network, connecting more airports with direct flights and building a regional mass transport platform to sustainably connect communities across the U.S. SAM also intends to make hybrid electric powertrain upgrades available to fleet owners on and off its consumer platform, as well as license its technology to OEMs for new aircraft types.

SAM’s proprietary electrified propulsion technology, once developed, would target carbon emission reductions of up to 50% on its first-generation Cessna Grand Caravans, helping to reduce the 915 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted by the aviation industry globally per year. By targeting direct operating cost reductions of up to 25% on its first-generation Cessna Grand Caravans, lower cost point-to-point flight networks can connect previously economically untenable markets with non-stop and direct, regularly scheduled flights. SAM’s initial hybrid-electric aircraft will not require charging stations, new takeoff and landing infrastructure, or changes to zoning, allowing the aircraft to operate anywhere in the U.S., unlocking more air travel potential for over 5,000 underserved public airports.

"Surf Air Mobility’s practical approach to scaling the decarbonization of aviation is built on a base of tangible revenue, industry-leading electrification technology, and significant growth prospects for the future,” stated Stephen A. Vogel, Tuscan Holdings. “Surf Air Mobility’s management team is first class, and with their leadership, we have confidence this transaction will enable the Company to reach its true growth potential.”

Surf Air Mobility's Hybrid Electric Division Demonstrates First Hybrid Electric Aircraft in Scotland

Electric aviation pioneer, Ampaire, is first to fly low-emission aircraft on a potential airline route as part of UK program to transition to sustainable aviation

Ampaire, a leader in electric aviation and division of Surf Air Mobility, celebrates the first hybrid-electric flights in Scotland yesterday, crossing the Pentland Firth from Kirkwall Airport (KOI) on the Orkney Isles to regional airport Wick John O'Groats Airport (WIC) in the north of mainland Scotland. This milestone marks the first set of demonstration flights in the UK.

The trials, the first to operate on a viable regional airline route, are part of the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) project, which is being led by Highlands and Islands Airports (HIAL).

Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, SATE is based at Kirkwall Airport in Orkney, which is also home to the UK's first operationally based low-carbon aviation test center. SATE forms part of the UKRI's Future Flight Challenge, created to test low-carbon aviation technologies, as well as investigate the airport infrastructure necessary to support sustainable aviation.

Surf Air Mobility and Textron Aviation Enter Into Exclusive Relationship to Electrify the Cessna Grand Caravan

Collaboration accelerates the path to hybrid electric commercial air travel

Surf Air Mobility Inc., a company accelerating the adoption of electric regional air travel, today announced an exclusive relationship with Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, supporting Surf Air Mobility’s development of electrified Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, beginning with a hybrid electric Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, targeted to be available in 2024. Surf Air Mobility has agreed to purchase up to 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops, with an initial fleet order of 100 aircraft and an option for 50 more. The aircraft will be upgraded to Surf Air Mobility’s proprietary hybrid electric powertrain technology as a 9-seat variant of the iconic single-engine turboprop.

Through this exclusive agreement, Surf Air Mobility plans to make electrified aircraft broadly available to new and existing operators, and bring the benefits of lower cost, lower emission air travel to customers sooner than the rest of the aviation manufacturing industry and at scale. Through an agreement to engage in joint marketing and sales efforts, Textron Aviation will use its expertise and deep customer relationships to help accelerate adoption of the electrified Cessna Grand Caravan for all types of Cessna Grand Caravan missions, including passenger and cargo applications.

“We know from our experience that people are looking for faster, affordable, and cleaner regional travel and we are building the ecosystem to accelerate the industry’s adoption of hybrid electric flight. We believe significantly reducing the emission from this category of aircraft will be the biggest step we can take toward de-carbonization in this decade,” said Sudhin Shahani, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO, Surf Air Mobility.

Surf Air unveils Surf Air Express

Surf Air today announced Surf Air Express, a new "per-seat" brand and membership that opens up the Surf Air network to fliers in need of better air travel.  With prices comparable to business and last-minute economy fares, Surf Air Express successfully positions the air travel company to expand beyond frequent business commuters paying a monthly subscription, and into the broader market of air travel by offering flights on their scheduled service to all of their routes on a portion of their flight times. Surf Air is already well known for its All-You-Can-Fly monthly membership which provides access to semi-private, scheduled flights on Surf Air branded aircraft that are operated by FAA certified and DOT-registered third-party air carriers.

Surf's up for an Encompassing confrontation. Encompass Aviation start legal action against Surf Air

The battle lines are drawn over a dispute between Surf Air and Encompass Aviation that has erupted over the decision by Surf Air to drop Encompass as its primary operator in California.

On 15th June, Surf Air terminated its flight agreement with Encompass Aviation, preferring to work with partners that it says can continue to provide its members with the exemplary service that they've come to expect.  However, this didn't go down too well with the directors at Encompass who fired off a highly defamatory press release claiming that Surf Air was financially distressed and in breach of contract and warning that it had filed papers with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Encompass said it should have had the first refusal of the contract with Surf Air and also claims Surf Air has been repeatedly late in paying them, the company says that as of June 14, 2018, Surf Air owed Encompass more than $3,100,000. 

Surf Air Now Accepting Payment Via Bitcoin And Ethereum

Surf Air, the world's largest "All-You-Can Fly" air travel club has announced it will accept Bitcoin and Ethereum as a form of payment for its monthly membership and charter offerings. This marks a major milestone in aviation as this will be the first time a travel provider has been able to successfully execute the acceptance of cryptocurrency. Beginning on November 29, 2017, Surf Air members can quickly and securely pay for Surf Air services using the purely digital currency and unlock the growing network of flights within the United States and Europe, including over 70 daily flights in California between cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area, 30 daily routes spanning across Texas, including Dallas, Houston and Austin and recently launched service in Europe between London, Ibiza and Zurich.