French Aircraft Manufacturer Aura Aero Opens Florida Manufacturing Facility

French aircraft manufacturer Aura Aero has opened a new manufacturing facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, with plans for significant expansion over the next three years. According to a report by Paul Brinkmann for SpaceNews, the Toulouse-based company is starting with a 930-square-meter (10,000-square-foot) factory and approximately two dozen employees focused on final assembly of its two-seat Integral R trainer aircraft.

By 2028, Aura Aero plans to expand to an additional 46,500-square-meter (500,000-square-foot) facility in Daytona Beach to support assembly of the Era, a planned 19-seat hybrid-electric passenger plane. The state of Florida announced a $200 million tiered incentive package for Aura Aero last year, based on the number of jobs the company creates.

Strategic Location

Jérémy Caussade, Aura Aero’s founder and president, told SpaceNews that Florida was selected due to its existing aerospace infrastructure, including nearby Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, NASA Kennedy Space Center, and U.S. Air Force installations such as Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The company intends to sell aircraft in the U.S. market and needed a domestic manufacturing presence to support those sales.

“I selected Florida because we need a plant in the U.S., because we want to sell there, and there is already a strong aerospace activity,” Caussade stated in the article.

Product Line And Certification

The Integral R received a type certificate from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in December 2024, allowing sales in Europe to begin earlier this year. Caussade said the company expects FAA certification and U.S. sales to begin by 2026. Aura Aero plans to offer both a gas-powered version and an all-electric variant of the two-seat trainer aircraft.

According to Caussade, the two-seat aircraft serves as a strategic stepping stone for the company. “The two-seater is such a great help to build the company, to build the trust with our customer and the authorities,” he explained in the report. “Otherwise, to me, it’s almost impossible to jump directly to such a big thing like 19 seats as a new company.”

The 19-seat Aura Era is designed to have a range of approximately 1,600 kilometers (900 nautical miles), intended for regional service between cities. The hybrid-electric aircraft would offer reduced pollution and noise compared to conventional aircraft.

Funding And Technology Partnerships

Founded in 2018, Aura Aero has received funding and financial support from several European Union initiatives focused on green aviation technologies. These include the European Innovation Fund, the French public investment bank Bpifrance, and EDF Group, a state-owned electricity company.

This funding model differs from European electric aviation startups like Lilium and Volocopter, which relied primarily on private investment. Both companies filed for bankruptcy in late 2024 after failing to secure public funding, though Volocopter was later purchased by Diamond Aircraft, a subsidiary of China-based Wanfeng Auto Holding Group.

For its electric propulsion system, Aura Aero selected the ENGINeUS electric motor from Paris-based aerospace company Safran.

Economic Impact

The phased expansion in Daytona Beach represents a significant investment in Florida’s aerospace manufacturing sector. While the initial facility employs approximately 24 workers, the planned 500,000-square-foot expansion for Era production would likely require hundreds of additional employees in engineering, manufacturing, quality control, and administrative roles.

Florida’s aerospace sector has benefited from proximity to major space and aviation operations, a skilled workforce pipeline through institutions like Embry-Riddle, and state-level incentives designed to attract advanced manufacturing operations. The $200 million tiered incentive package offered to Aura Aero reflects the state’s commitment to growing its aviation and aerospace manufacturing base.

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