NEW YORK : Jekta Switzerland SA, an electric-seaplane manufacturer, said on Tuesday it received its first order, a letter of intent for 10 planes from Dubai-based broker Gayo Aviation and Tourism, amid a global effort to lower emissions.Gayo intends to use the planes for sustainable luxury travel and transport to remote areas, Gayo Chairman Gisle Dueland told Reuters. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but large combustion-engine seaplanes can sell for over $1 million.
Multiple startups are working on electric or hybrid aircraft to meet aviation's long-term climate goals. United Airlines and Air Canada have both said they would buy electric planes from Swedish start-up Heart Aerospace. There are roughly 364 seaplane operators around the world and more than 1,000 aircraft flying, Alafinov said. DeHavilland Canada and Textron Inc's Cessna began making seaplanes decades earlier.