Million Air Winter 2021

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NEED TO KNOW Surf Air is buying up to 150 electrically powered Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops

SURF AIR AND TEXTRON SUSTAINABILITY FOR SHORT HOPS You may know Surf Air from its short-hop private flights in California, where you can buy all-you-can-fly memberships and single seats. Now, Surf Air Mobility wants to bring sustainable aviation to short flights. In July, it announced it was partnering with manufacturer Textron Aviation to develop electrified Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. The target date for the first flight of the nine- seaters is just around the corner in 2024. The agreement envisions Surf Air buying 150 Cessna Grand Caravan EX single-engine turboprops. The aircraft will be converted to fly via proprietary hybrid electric powertrain technology. “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,” says Surf Air executive chairman and CEO Sudhin Shahani. “Hybrid electric propulsion technology, deployed at scale for environmental and commercial benefits, is an important part of the future of travel,” says Ron Draper, president & CEO of Textron Aviation. With no charging stations expected to be required, Surf Air says the company can “immediately” fly into the more than 5,000 US airports open for private aviation. Electric airplanes will reduce carbon emissions by around 25%. surfair.com; txtav.com

ONESKY FLIGHT SUSTAINABILITY RUNS IN THE FAMILY The flying unit of Directional Aviation, OneSky Flight, has embraced sustainability across its portfolio of stores, which range from fractional share provider Flexjet and helicopter operator Halo to jet card seller Sentient Jet and charter brokers FXAIR and PrivateFly. Halo, which was formed by the acquisition of helicopter operators in the Northeastern US and outside London, is going green with an order of 200 eTVOLs from EVE. Vertical transports are considered a critical solution for urban mobility of the future. While the aircraft delivered to Halo will mainly shuttle flyers between airports and city centers, other applications include commuting to the

NEED TO KNOW OneSky’s Sentient Jet is going emissions neutral, additionally offsetting non- carbon emissions that also contribute to climate change offsetting non-carbon emissions that contribute to warming, such as water vapor. It entails buying carbon offsets at a 300% level. Flexjet in the US and FXAIR have both committed to carbon neutrality. onesky.com office, alleviating road congestion. Meanwhile, Sentient, which tallied $450m in jet card sales last year, plus Flexjet in Europe and PrivateFly (which operates outside the US), have all gone emissions neutral. That means