By Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef and Electra CEO Marc Allen at the Farnborough International Airshow in England to announce that Electra has selected Springfield for the site of its first EL9 Ultra Short aircraft production facility.
This $850 million investment in Clark County will create 1,975 new jobs and marks a major milestone for the future of aviation and aerospace. The new facility will be located at AirPark Ohio, adjacent to Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport.
“Ohio is where flight began, and the Dayton-Springfield area has become the national epicenter for advanced air mobility – the place where the next generation of aircraft is being designed, tested, and now built at scale,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
“Electra’s decision to bring nearly 2,000 new jobs to Springfield will be transformative for Clark County, demonstrating Ohio’s unique ability to lead America into aviation’s next era.”
The Springfield facility will lead production of the EL9 Ultra Short, a nine-passenger fixed-wing aircraft that uses hybrid-electric propulsion and blown-lift technology to take off and land in as little as 150 feet. The EL9 Ultra Short will help meet demand for “Direct Aviation,” a new category of accessible, point-to-point air mobility using novel access points such as parking lots, barges, and sports fields.
“Electra is opening a new era of aviation, one where flight is direct, accessible, and closer to the communities it serves,” said Marc Allen, CEO of Electra.
“This agreement is the moment that our vision moves from demonstration into reality. In Springfield and Clark County, we found the rare combination this next era requires: a ready site, a skilled workforce, a deep aerospace and defense ecosystem, and state and local leaders with the commitment and vision to build it with us. We are grateful to the City of Springfield, Clark County, and the State of Ohio for welcoming Electra into this community as we prepare to bring the EL9 Ultra Short into production, through certification, and ultimately into service.”
Today’s announcement comes less than two weeks after Ohio was named America’s Top State for Business by CNBC.
Design work on the new 96-acre facility will begin immediately, with construction expected to start next year. The first phase of development will support production of up to 400 aircraft per year, with a second phase planned to expand capacity to up to 800 aircraft per year.
Electra selected the Springfield site following a year-long competitive national site-selection process that evaluated more than 140 potential locations. Electra specifically chose the Dayton-Springfield region because it offers advanced air mobility (AAM) companies a combination of assets found nowhere else in the country, including the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence and SkyVision at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, growing AAM production near Dayton International Airport, and proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
“JobsOhio and our partners at the Dayton Development Coalition are proud to welcome Electra’s first point-to-point hybrid-electric aircraft production facility to Ohio,” said JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef.
“This investment builds on years of collaboration to establish Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport as a national hub for advanced air mobility. Here, Electra will have direct access to the nation’s premier AAM testing infrastructure, a proven aerospace workforce, a deep manufacturing supply chain and the unmatched research capabilities of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base—an ideal environment to innovate, scale, and grow for decades to come.”
Electra’s investment will be supported by state and local incentives tied to job creation, workforce development, infrastructure readiness, and long-term manufacturing growth. An incentive package is being designed to support hundreds of new Ohio jobs over the coming years as Electra scales production in the region. The project will pursue a Job Creation Tax Credit from the Ohio Department of Development at a future Tax Credit Authority meeting. JobsOhio also plans to provide assistance with the project, which will be made public after a final agreement is executed.
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