Spanish airlines Air Nostrum and Volotea have acquired a minority stake in Dante Aeronautical, which is working to market electric propulsion conversions of existing turboprop aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, the DHC Twin Otter, the Beechcraft King Air, and the Casa C212. Announcing the undisclosed investment on December 20, Spain-based Dante said the agreement will lead to the carriers making a similar strategic commitment to its Australian sister company Dovetail Electric Aviation, with which it recently launched a joint Series A funding round.

Initially, the partners are seeking a supplemental type certificate to convert the battery-powered Caravan and aim to start deliveries in 2025. By the following year, they aim to get approval for another version of the aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells and then add retrofits for the King Air, Twin Otter, and C212 to its portfolio between 2027 and 2028.

Dante was founded in 2018 with an initial business model based on developing a new hybrid-electric 19-seat regional airliner called the DAX-19. It has since pushed back the start of this project to 2029, with a goal of achieving type certification in 2033.

According to Dante, UK-based aircraft leasing group Monte has committed to purchasing 50 converted aircraft on undisclosed terms. This would include a mix of the battery-powered Caravan and a hydrogen-electric King Air.

The battery electric conversions will use MagniX’s 650 kW motors and batteries provided by Mobius energy initially. Under an agreement signed in late 2021, Dovetail and Dante are the exclusive distributors for U.S.-based MagniX in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, and Europe. The companies mainly intend to act as system integrators for the planned propulsion conversion projects.

The nine-passenger Beechcraft King Air twin turboprop is one of the first aircraft Dante intends to convert to battery-electric propulsion. — The nine-passenger Beechcraft King Air twin turboprop is one of the first aircraft Dante intends to convert to battery-electric propulsion with motors supplied by MagniX. (Image: Dante)

The initial battery electric propulsion system would only deliver a range of between 80 and 100 km (50 to 60 miles) for the fixed wing aircraft. According to the partners, this is sufficient for initial applications such as sightseeing flights, and the range would subsequently be extended to around 500 km with improved battery technology and the hydrogen fuel cell system. Dovetail aims to have a hydrogen test bed aircraft based on the King Air ready to start flying in 2024.

In recent weeks, Dante says it has secured provisional sales agreements with South Korea’s Mint Air for 10 aircraft, and from Australia’s Sydney Seaplanes for 65 units. Its partner Dovetail was founded in 2021 by Sydney Aviation Holdings, which is the parent company of both Sydney Seaplanes and Dante. Dovetail also recently received an investment from Australian domestic carrier Rex Airlines.

According to Dovetail, some 16,000 small commercial aircraft in the 9- to 19-seat category are available for conversion worldwide. It claims that converting these models to electric propulsion could deliver a reduction in operating costs of around 40 percent, based in part on lower maintenance expenses, including engine overhauls.

Crowded Market For Electric Conversions

Dante and Dovetail are competing in an increasingly crowded sector with several other start-ups vying to convert the same existing aircraft models to electric or hybrid-electric propulsion. These include U.S.-based Ampaire, which has also received provisional orders from Monte and is now looking to raise further capital.

At the same time, ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen are both working on plans to convert existing commuter aircraft to hydrogen propulsion, including the Dash 8 and the ATR family of twin turboprops. Both of these companies have attracted multi-million-dollar amounts investments from backers including major airlines.

The plans announced this week call for Dovetail to open the first conversion center in Australia by the end of 2024, with Dante building a second in Spain. Later, the partners hope to open facilities in other markets, including the Middle East.

Both Dovetail and Dante were founded by David Doral, a former engineer with both Airbus and Boeing, along with Sydney Seaplanes founded Aaron Shaw. Roei Ganzarski, the former CEO of MagniX and chairman of electric aircraft developer Eviation, is a member of Dovetail’s board.

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN