Ampaire raises $19M, launches Utah hybrid-electric operations

Ampaire has raised $19 million and begun hybrid-electric flight operations under Utah’s uFLY program. The series B funding round was led by DiamondStream Partners, with participation from Alaska Star Ventures, the venture capital arm of Alaska Air Group; and IAGi Ventures, International Airlines Group’s (IAG) corporate venture capital arm. Ampaire has secured a total of $68 million, including about $25 million in grants and contracts, according to an Aug. 18 release from the Long Beach, Calif.-based company. [caption id="attachment_57298760" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Ampaire is testing its Eco Caravan equipped with a hybrid-electric propulsion system. (Courtesy/Ampaire)[/caption] Ampaire is also moving forward with its Eco Caravan program and exploring auxiliary power unit applications with IAG. “Ampaire plans on producing at least two additional Eco Caravan aircraft over the next year. The eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) enables entry into service ahead of full certification, which is on track for late 2027,” co-founder and Chief Executive Kevin Noertker told Cargo Facts . The Eco Caravan is a hybrid-electric modification of the Cessna Grand Caravan and is intended to become Ampaire’s first commercial product. Its propulsion system is designed to recharge its batteries in flight and operate without ground-charging infrastructure, according to a release. The eIPP was introduced by the FAA in September 2025 to accelerate the safe deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles in the National Airspace System. Ampaire will also advance Part 33 certification of its 570-kilowatt AMP-H570 hybrid-electric power system and a Part 23 supplemental type certificate for the Eco Caravan, Noertker said. Alaska Airlines was unavailable for comment, while IAG referred Cargo Facts to its news release. The opportunity for Ampaire rests primarily with the cargo market, Ryan Wallace, a professor and executive director of the Center for Advanced Air Mobility at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told Cargo Facts . “Essentially, Ampaire has created the Prius of the short-haul cargo feeder market.” — Ryan Wallace, Professor and Executive Director, Center for Advanced Air Mobility, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University While cargo carriers have made aggressive efforts to control fuel costs, including fleet modernization, the new technology will become a possible alternative to conventional aircraft, he said. “However, it comes at a time when advancement from eVTOL and AAM developers may create an increasingly wide bench of potential competition,” Wallace added. eIPP test flights Ampaire is the only hybrid-electric propulsion manufacturer partner in Utah’s uFLY initiative, one of eight projects selected under the U.S. DOT and FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, according to an Aug. 6 release. Ampaire’s Electric EEL, a modified Cessna 337 Skymaster with electric propulsion powering its forward propeller and a combustion engine powering its aft propeller, flew 648 miles to Salt Lake City (SLC) from Long Beach (LGB) on Aug. 3 in 4 hours and 18 minutes on a single battery charge. The Eco Caravan flew 240 miles to Cedar City, Utah (CDC) from SLC on Aug. 6 in 1 hour and 45 minutes, according to the release. “Initial routes are not carrying cargo or passengers,” Ampaire’s Noertker said. “However, we plan to execute a staged program where we move from empty to representative payloads, through operating with full commercial payloads typically carried by cargo feeder operators, passenger carriers and community air service providers.” In addition to continuing eIPP test flights in Utah, Ampaire has “built and tested” a proof-of-concept hybrid-electric auxiliary power unit, Noertker said. The company began evaluating the auxiliary power unit technology through IAG’s six-month accelerator program in 2025, according to an Aug. 18 IAG release. Cargo Facts Symposium 2026, the premier event for the freighter aircraft and air cargo industries, will take place in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 21-23. Find out more and register by Sept. 4 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

Ampaire raises $19M, launches Utah hybrid-electric operations

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