Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
I am puzzled: with that passenger capacity, and the cost of building some leading edge technology, what's the market that can support this (if it succeeds in meeting initial targets) beyond the business jet market? I am pretty sure I am missing something. Beyond the matters of scale, there is the cost of development and certification that one has to make up on the back end, as well as creating nodes/hubs where the batteries are charged or swapped out per the article's description. I looked at a few biz jets and note that in terms of range, this proposed model does not look competitive. (For example, a Gulfstream V carrying up to 14 pax has a 5000 mile range ... and the Cessna Citation about 2300 though I am not sure of the passenger load on that)
Is this realistic?
At a guess, somebody is betting big on a new sector in the commercial airline business, rather than a traditional business jet market. The exponential growth of Surf Air seems to show it's a valid business model. A hybrid aircraft fits this flight profile ideally, short range, lots of cycles, issues of noise/pollution using non-traditional (GA style) airfields.