Mumbai-Based Firm To Buy 50 Electric Seaplanes
The deal includes a deposit for 10 aircraft, with the remaining as options.
Jekta, a Swiss firm, has inked a deal to supply 50 electric seaplanes to Mumbai-based Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR). The agreement includes a deposit for the first 10 aircraft, with the remaining 40 as options. As far as the start of deliveries is concerned, that should be from 2029. By then, the PHA-ZE 100 would have completed its necessary certification processes and entered series production.
MEHAIR has been operating seaplanes in India since 2011 and is an active player in the Indian Government’s UDAN scheme – one that aims to boost air connectivity to airports that could do with more commercial air services. Here’s what Siddharth Verman, director of MEHAIR, said about the Jekta deal in an official statement:
We want to be one of the first aviation companies in the world to operate a zero-emissions aircraft to support regional flights between land and water infrastructure.
The PHA-ZE 100 aircraft, designed by Jekta in collaboration with Italy-based MBVision, has been ordered in the standard 19-seat configuration (the first 10). It will be manufactured in Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, courtesy of Jetka Switzerland SA and swiss aeropole SA joining forces. And in case you’re wondering, PHA-ZE stands for Passenger Hydro Aircraft – Zero Emission.
The amphibian aeroplane prototype shows 10 propeller-type engines, each with a diameter of 2 metres. Each has 180kw of power, with a rev range of 1200-2200. They can draw power from batteries or green hydrogen fuel cells, depending on what the buyer needs as the source of electricity. It can achieve up to 135 knots of cruising speed and boasts a technical flight altitude of 45,000 ft. Jekta claims that the PHA-ZE 100 has a life of over 50 years, requiring a “minimum of maintenance and repairs”.
And, of course, besides the 19-seat Economy layout, other configurations are also on offer. They include Combo Economy, Executive, Combo Executive, Full Executive and VIP. There’s even a version specifically designed for ambulance services.
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