MintAir has signed a Letter of Intent to become an official reseller with Electron aerospace. As a part of the deal, MintAir plans to operate and become an official reseller for the Electron 5, a battery electric, fixed wing aircraft, eCTOL.
The Electron 5 aircraft includes a 5-seater passenger version, a 4-seater trainer, and a cargo aircraft with a 500 kg payload.
In a different deal, MintAir has also secured ten Electron 5 aircraft and has priority delivery slots for 2027. MintAir selected the Electron 5 due to its capability to access short runways as well as its impressive 500 km operating range, which allows MintAir to connect most airports within South Korea.
Josef Mouris, CEO, Electron Aerospace said: “US-based consultancy Oliver Wyman just updated its forecast, estimating a shortage of 80,000 pilots by 2032. As a former airline pilot, I can confirm that the Electron 5 is ideal for the second stage of commercial pilot training.”
MintAir is pioneering in South Korea’s journey towards zero emission, battery electric electric flying. The carrier plans to operate urban and regional air mobility services, using a mixture of vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) as well as conventional take-off and landing aircraft (eCTOL).
Anticipating the need of pilots in coming years, MintAir plans to sell the trainer version and passenger version to flight schools and operators in in Asia.
“At MintAir, we’re excited to bring the Electron 5 to South Korea, allowing us to create zero emission connections as well as offering local flight schools to go green at the same price as buying a comparable fossil fuel aircraft today,” said Eugene Choi, CEO, MintAir. “Even better, the fully battery-electric propulsion system has the potential to reduce a flight school’s operating costs significantly, making it cheaper to train more pilots.”
The Electron 5 is powered by a battery pack, each aircraft is capable of transporting up to 4 passengers or 500 kg payload over 500 km, all with zero emission and on a single battery charge. The eVTOL is scheduled to receive its EASA certification towards the end of 2026 and kick start the deliveries by early 2027.