JEKTA is an aircraft manufacturer from Payerne, Switzerland. Leading innovation in aviation, the company developed an amphibian electrical aircraft named ‘Passenger Hydro Aircraft Zero Emissions’ also known as, PHA-ZE 100.
You have been the Managing Director at ‘Aéronautique Design & Service Bureau’ in Switzerland for almost 8 years. What inspired you to create and lead JEKTA Aviation? How has your previous experience shaped your vision for the company’s future?
George Alafinov: Aéronautique Design & Service Bureau specializes in designing amphibian aircraft in various categories and sizes.
In 2018-19, I was invited by the government of India to discuss the possibility of creating regional transportation using amphibious aviation to connect Indian states by aerial waterways. It was during that conversation I realized there is an enormous opportunity to design and manufacture a commercially viable amphibian aircraft.
My team and I came up with a vision of a commercial amphibious aircraft, seating up to 19 passengers, but with a normal propulsion system using an internal combustion engine — therefore flying on petrol.
During the pandemic, we did some research and found that the advantages for the electrification of such aircraft greatly outweigh any disadvantages. It also opens the possibility of making a futuristic product that is viable and sustainable for the next 50 years.
In 2022 we formed JEKTA, with our first product being the aircraft called the PHA-ZE 100, which is short for Passenger Hydro Aircraft Zero Emissions, which is an amphibian aircraft with an electric motor powered by hydrogen, through a high temperature proton exchange membrane, which converts hydrogen into electricity. Therefore, it’s a fully sustainable aircraft manufactured from composite materials with electric propulsion. It eliminates greenhouse gas emissions, and oil or petrol drips into the water, making it a completely ecological product.
JEKTA has got orders from Hong Kong’s Seaplane Asia, Dubai-based Gayo Aviation as well as Indian operator MEHAIR (Maritime Energy Heli Air Services) for the PHA-ZE 100. Tell us about the innovative features of the amphibious aircraft.
George Alafinov: This aircraft is based on the principle of a flying boat. A hundred years ago, 95% of the world’s aviation activity was flown by flying boats. The term flying boat means that it’s an aircraft that has landing gear, so can land on airports as normal, but the under carriage and the bottom part of the aircraft is shaped like a boat hull.
This allows it to land on and take off from water, including oceans. This is a huge difference with the contemporary land-based aircraft which use floats. They’re very limited in their performance because they struggle to operate on open waters.
This is one of the main features of its universality and its applicability in various weather conditions and environments. So, we’re talking about the possibility of flying during a storm, during the night, and also the potential of operating in limited environments such as small lakes, small rivers, dams, etc.
The aircraft requires minimal washing and is extremely low maintenance. It has several electric engines powered by hydrogen fuel cells that convert hydrogen into electricity.
It’s an aircraft with a modular interior, meaning that our customers can go from economy class, 19 passengers, to an extremely luxurious configuration for maybe five to seven passengers. It can be a cargo aircraft or a combi aircraft that for example, could transport scuba divers to a remote dive-site and return in the same day.
What specific regional or market needs do you see driving the demand for an electric-powered amphibious aircraft like the PHA-ZE 100? How is the aircraft a good fit for the GCC countries?
George Alafinov: We believe one of the biggest markets here is going to be the one connecting all the coasts of the Middle East. We’re talking about the coast of Oman, certainly from north to south. Another great example is connecting the Khasab Airport in the north with Zighy Bay further south. International guests arriving to the airport have to make a three-hour drive which takes them through the UAE before arriving in Zighy Bay in Oman. With our aircraft, they will fly for 18 minutes in a luxurious cabin environment.
Another huge opportunity, of course, is the Red Sea on the coast of Saudi Arabia. We can also connect with Kuwait, Bahrain, and Daman with Qatar. Much of the Middle East is coastline, and our idea is to easily connect all the international airports with the coastal areas. The PHA-ZE 100 is a tool creating regional transportation that connects various nations internally and externally.
What about landing in the sand? Is it possible?
George Alafinov: In the sand itself, it is not possible as sand is constantly shifting, and to operate you need to tap it, so it’s flat. The PHA-ZE 100 can operate on unpaved runways, which is usually firm ground, but not sand.
This aircraft is designed to be operated from and to unpaved runways, i.e. there is no concrete or asphalt surface, and this is another factor in supporting the creation of this regional network. You don’t have to invest in building the runway, or disturbing the natural environment. You can use water or unpaved land.
The Paris Agreement set a target of emissions to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050. What are the key features of the PHA-ZE 100 that align with this goal and how do they contribute to Jekta’s overall climate strategy? Please explain about the regulatory standards and frameworks that the aircraft is designed to conform to.
George Alafinov: Well, our aircraft will be certified to EASA CS-23 and US FAA FAR-23 standards for fixed-wing passenger aircraft. We are currently in contact with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transport of Oman in order to discuss the regulatory framework. It would be an advantage if such regulatory frameworks here in Oman were in line with the world standards on opening water routes and water transportation within Omani airspace.
Following that, of course, we are looking forward to working with other members of the GCC in order to have a homogeneous framework through all the Middle East in order to create this transportation network. If it is the same as in Europe, the USA and Asia, an aircraft can perform on the same basis in the Middle East as it will in Japan or Florida for example.
Regarding the technological aspect of this and of the innovation part of your project, what kind of disruption are you hoping to see that could push your kind of aviation to the fast lane?
George Alafinov: It is very important to create a transport network with the minimum investment and time, and with almost non-existent ecological impact.
We can do it in a sustainable and economical way. Our aircraft is extremely economical. By electrifying this aircraft, by using hydrogen, which is now widely accepted as the new energy, especially as the GCC countries are transitioning to hydrogen economies we can see amphibious operations becoming the norm. That includes Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, the blue hydrogen is available now and will transition to green hydrogen, which is even more sustainable.
Our goal is to create transportation within the Middle East enabling more people to have access to flight. So, they can take our aircraft to go to their cities or villages from the International Airport, just like a bus.
We’re very happy that our partners from ZeroAvia, which is a company invested in by Airbus, are developers of technology that will convert hydrogen into electricity; this is of course at the core of our aircraft.
Moreover, we believe that the size of the market of the Middle East is so large, and the opportunities are so enormous that we’re looking forward to actually building this aircraft here in the Middle East.
You were also mentioning on various occasions the importance of hydrogen in your project. You know that Oman aims to be a hydrogen hub for the Middle East. What kind of partnership do you foresee in Oman or in the GCC region?
George Alafinov: Yes, that is why we did a lot of research in particular on Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE and other neighboring countries about their transition to hydrogen economies. We’re looking forward to partnering with local producers, local transporters and storages of the hydrogen in order to offtake this production. We believe that we will be part of the hydrogen ecosystem.
In this market you also have some competitors. There is not that much like in other industries, but we can talk about, for example, Elfly, Mallard Enterprises, Tidal Flight, Ocean Aircraft, and AAI. How do you respond to the competition?
George Alafinov: Actually, we don’t have enough competition. The more competition there is, the more understanding there is about what an incredible global opportunity it is to create sustainable amphibian aviation with minimal infrastructure investments or destruction of nature.
I don’t call them competitors, but colleagues! Together with our colleagues, we are pushing a global recognition that there is a huge opportunity in the creation of amphibian aviation and using the nature’s gift to our advantage in a sustainable way.
So, I welcome each one of our competitors. Moreover, I know them personally. I think we have a very healthy competition in that sense. We have different ideas on the design aircraft, on the application, on the size of the aircraft, and the commercial viability of the aircraft, but we’re all aiming and trying to achieve the same goal, which is a wide acceptance of this new mode of transportation.
Which future innovation is JEKTA working on right now in terms of sustainable aviation? And are there any specific projects that you are planning to implement only in Middle East?
George Alafinov: We’re trying to build an aircraft that is widely accepted and widely applicable around the world. In the Middle East, for our first product, there will be certain changes and certain integration systems that we will need consider because of two things. First of course, is heat. So, something very basic like air conditioning is needed here, something that is not needed in Norway, for example, or in Canada.
There are other things which impact the system of the aircraft, which comes from heat, which comes from humidity, but mostly comes from sand. Sand is damaging if it enters into the aircraft systems because it can short-circuit systems.
We’re already implementing, integrating certain designer solutions, and we work with suppliers that provide us with extremely robust, let’s say, very high-level protected avionics and other integrated systems specifically designed for the Middle East. We seriously consider the conditions that are presented here, and we believe this is going to be one of the biggest markets for us in the world.
