Aura Aero has launched its 'Aura Factory' project, a new site dedicated to the production of its Integral and ERA programmes, at Toulouse-Francazal airport in France.

In view of its rapid growth and the ramp-up of its production, Aura Aero's current infrastructures will develop very significantly in the near future.

In order to meet its industrial calendar, planning on a production start for the regional 19 seater electric-hybrid ERA aircraft for as soon as the end of 2025, the manufacturer is planning to move to the new site within the next 30 months.

The Aura Factory will house both the industrial centre, including the Integral and ERA assembly and sub-assembly production lines, and the energy centre. It will also host the design and advanced research department, as well as the customer centre, the aircraft delivery centre and the administrative, commercial and management teams within its 40,000 sqm of buildings.

The new site will be scaled to manufacture around 150 aircraft per year, comprising 50 Integral and 100 ERA. Thus, the headcount will go from 130 people today to some 1,600 employees at maximum rate.

The Aura Factory represents an investment of 150 million euros. Funded with the support of Toulouse-Métropole and the Occitanie Region, the buildings should come out of the ground after all the preliminary technical and administrative studies.

In line with the sustainable development approach that is at the heart of Aura Aero's DNA, this project aims at being as integrated as possible within its environment, especially the scenery and its biodiversity. Aura Aero is committed to minimising the buildings' carbon impact, notably through the use of bio-sourced materials and processes, and through optimised, no air-conditioning heating systems, with simple regulation solutions.

Similarly, Aura Aero says it will do its utmost to carry out autonomous and virtuous operations, through minimal use of external resources such as water or electricity:

- Onsite production and storage of electricity for the needs of the buildings, for the industrial processes and for the charging of batteries, either for the manufactured aircraft or for the light logistics and employee vehicles;

- Onsite processing of waste water;

- Use of rainwater for sanitary facilities and watering.

Co-founder and president Jérémy Caussade says: “The trust that many international airlines place in us confirms the wish of the aviation sector to quickly shift towards decarbonisation, with aircraft that better respect the environment. We aim at being among the leaders of this industrial revolution, and we would like to express our gratitude to the regional communities, Toulouse Métropole and the Occitanie Region for supporting us in the realisation of this project in a challenging time frame.”