Can $400M Keep Aura Aero’s Hybrid-Electric Dreams Alive?

French manufacturer enjoyed a recent windfall but faces delays in testing and production.

Jack Daleo

Friday, April 17, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

France’s Aura Aero is developing the 19-seat, hybrid-electric Era regional airliner. [Credit: Aura Aero]

Key Takeaways:

Aura Aero has delayed the first flight of its 19-seat hybrid-electric Era regional airliner to late 2027 (or potentially 2028) and its certification to late 2029 or early 2030, with manufacturing facility openings also pushed back.
The company recently secured approximately $400 million in new funding and subsidies from various partners, which is intended to support its development programs and planned dual industrial footprint in France and Florida.
Beyond the Era, Aura Aero is advancing other projects including the Integral family of training aircraft (with an all-electric variant) and the Enbata MALE drone, pursuing both civil and military applications and exploring innovative usage-based financing models for customers.

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French manufacturer Aura Aero is hoping that fresh funding will get its ambitions to launch a 19-seat, hybrid-electric regional airliner on track.

The manufacturer last week said it is now targeting 2027 for the first flight of its flagship Era, a slip from earlier predictions of late 2026. When asked about the test program by FLYING, Jérémy Caussade, co-founder and CEO of Aura, committed only to first flight in “less than two years”—meaning it could slip further to 2028. Late 2029 or early 2030 remains the certification target for the model.