2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Full-scale demonstrator is now in ground trials and is expected to fly in the second quarter of 2025

Heart Rolls Out Technology Demonstrator for Hybrid-electric Airliner

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Scotland-based regional airline aims to achieve zero carbon emissions

Loganair and Heart Team To Decarbonize UK Domestic Flights

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Several new hybrid-electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft are in development

Green Regional Airliners Could Break the Market Mold

The Swedish start-up has changed the architecture of its planned propulsion system

Heart Presses Ahead With New Independent Hybrid Regional Airliner

The Swedish company recruited a chief technology officer to run its Los Angeles operation

Heart Sets Up U.S. R&D Hub for ES-30 Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner

Heart Aerospace has significantly boosted its war chest to develop the 30-seat hybrid-electric ES-30 airliner by closing a Series B funding round that raised $107 million. On February 1, the Swedish company announced that the round had increased its total funding to $145 million.
New investors backing Heart include Denmark’s Sagitta Ventures. The early-stage investor joined other backers for the Series B round, which also include Air Canada, United Airlines, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, European Innovation Council Fund, EQT Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Norrsken VC, and Y Combinator.
Heart said that its main engineering goal this year is to complete the development of the ES-30’s powertrain. The company has begun type certification under EASA's Part 25 rules for commercial aircraft and aims&nbsp;to complete this process in 2028, after achieving a first flight with a prototype in 2026.
The ES-30 will be powered mainly by four battery-driven electric motors,&nbsp;now bolstered by a pair of turbo generators to meet reserve energy requirements&nbsp;“without cannibalizing range.” The new model is expected to offer carriers an all-electric range of 200 kilometers&nbsp;(125 miles), with an extended full-payload range of twice that distance and the potential for longer hybrid-powered flights to 800 kilometers&nbsp;(500 miles) with 25 passengers, taking account of standard airline fuel reserves.
According to Heart, it now holds 250 provisional orders for the ES-30, with options, purchase rights, and letters of intent covering a further 311 aircraft. Air Canada and United Airlines are among the named prospective customers. Heart announced <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-15/heart-unveils-plans-30-seat-electric-regional-airliner-new-backers">plans for the ES-30 in September 2022,</a> after airlines indicated they would prefer a larger, longer-range model than the all-electric, 19-seat ES-19 it had been developing.
EQT Ventures partner Ted Persson is to join Heart’s board of directors. “As someone said, the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones and the Fossil Age won’t end because we run out of fossil fuels,” he commented. “Heart Aerospace is taking decarbonization to the skies, and we’re proud to be funding technology that will fundamentally change the aviation industry. We believe that sustainable industrial and electrification solutions are not just the future; they are the present and our investment strategy reflects our unwavering commitment to driving positive change in these critical sectors.”

Managing Editor

Heart Raises a Further $107 Million for ES-30 Hybrid-electric Airliner

Malmö Airport in southern Sweden is to be used as a test site for Heart Aerospace’s ES-30 hybrid-electric airliner. Airports group Swedavia said the facility will be used to conduct taxiing and charging tests using a full-scale model of the 30-seat aircraft as part of the third stage of Sweden’s Elise project to support a transition to electric and hydrogen-powered aviation.
Under an agreement announced late on July 7, the latest phase of Elise is backed by a new SEK 20 million ($1.9 million) grant from Swedish innovation agency Vinnova. The project will also involve airlines SAS and Braathens, as well as Swedish battery developer Northvolt. 
Initial work started in May and will run through April 2025, with the f<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-15/heart-unveils-plans-30-seat-electric-regional-airliner-new-backers">ull-scale model ES-30</a> expected to arrive in Malmö at a later date. Heart Aerospace is building the model at its headquarters in Gothenburg. It will use a separate full-scale prototype when it begins flight testing in 2026 as it works towards planned type certification and service entry in 2028. 
The Elise project started in 2018 with the expressed intention of supporting the development of a Swedish-made electric aircraft. Heart Aerospace started this process when it was founded in 2018&nbsp;with its plans for an all-electric ES-19 airliner. Then in September 2022, the company said that feedback from prospective airline customers had prompted it to switch to a plan for a larger aircraft with a hybrid-electric propulsion system, including a pair of turbogenerators and four electric motors, to support longer-range flights.
<h3 class="subheading">Hybrid-Power Means Longer Range For Regional Airline Flights</h3>
The ES-30 model is expected to offer operators an all-electric range of 200 km (125 miles), with an extended full-payload range of twice that distance and the potential for longer hybrid-powered flights to 800 km (500 miles) with 25 passengers on board, taking account of standard airline fuel reserves. Prospective customers for the aircraft include Air Canada, United Airlines, Icelandair, Braathens, SAS, New Zealand-based Sounds Air, and Sweden-based leasing group Rockton. 
Other organizations involved in the Elise project include Swedish regional airports trade organization Sveriges Regionala Flygplatser, the Research Institutes of Sweden, Bromma Air Maintenance, and Sweden’s civil aviation administration and transport agency. Swedavia has previously conducted a case study for electric aircraft to operate between other airports in its network, including Umeå and <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2020-10-05/airports-sweden-and-norway-offer-testbed-electric-aircraft-developers">Åre Östersund</a>, and electric charging stations have already been installed there in addition to <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-10-01/electric-aircraft-charging-stations-open-swedens-visby-airport">Visby Airport</a>.
Heart Aerospace, which has established an electric aviation development hub at Gothenburg’s Säve Airport, is also working with<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-31/bae-develop-battery-system-hearts-es-30-hybrid-electric-regional-airliner"> BAE Systems </a>on longer-term plans for the ES-30’s battery system. Other program partners now include avionics supplier Garmin, aerostructures specialist Aernnova, and Swedish aerospace group Saab.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Sweden's Malmö Airport to Host Ground Testing For Heart's ES-30 Hybrid-Electric Regional Airliner

Heart Aerospace has enlisted BAE Systems to help it define the battery system for its planned ES-30 hybrid-electric regional airliner. The Swedish start-up says it is targeting a power density of 330 Wh/kg as part of a propulsion system that will combine four battery-driven electric motors with a pair of as-yet-unspecified turbogenerators.
Heart unveiled its development of&nbsp;the 30-seat model<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-15/heart-unveils-plans-30-seat-electric-regional-airliner-new-backers">&nbsp;in September 2022</a>&nbsp;when it announced the <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/heart-electric-airliner">ES-30</a> as an alternative to a previously planned&nbsp;19-passenger, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2020-09-23/heart-aerospace-advances-plans-es-19-electric-regional-airliner">all-electric ES-19 aircraft</a>. After consulting with prospective customers, including Air Canada, the company opted for a hybrid-electric powertrain to give operators the option of more range while meeting reserve energy requirements. The new model is expected to offer carriers an all-electric range of 200 kilometers&nbsp;(125 miles), with an extended full-payload range of twice that distance and the potential for longer hybrid-powered flights to 800 kilometers (500 miles) with 25 passengers, taking account of standard airline fuel reserves.
BAE Systems is joining other ES-30 program partners, including Swedish aerospace group Saab, avionics supplier Garmin, and aerostructures specialist Aernnova. Its contribution will be made by the UK-based group’s Controls and Avionics Solutions operation in upstate New York, which has more than 25 years of experience electrifying large, heavy-duty industrial vehicles with over 15,000 power and propulsion systems in service worldwide.
Early design drawings for the ES-30 show a large compartment in the lower fuselage that will be used to carry the batteries. Another difference from the earlier ES-19 design is the new spars connecting the wing to the fuselage.
<figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center">
<article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-default">
 
 <div class="layout layout--onecol">
 <div class="layout__region layout__region--content">
 <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-media-image">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/futureflight/import/bae_heart_battery-pack_2.png" width="5760" height="3240" alt="Heart Aerospace and BAE Systems are jointly developing battery packs for the ES-30 aircraft." title="Heart Aerospace and BAE Systems are jointly developing battery packs for the ES-30 aircraft.">

</div>
 
 </div>
<div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blockmediaimagefield-caption">
 
 
 
 <div class="field field--name-field-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Heart Aerospace and BAE Systems are jointly developing battery packs for the ES-30 aircraft.</div>
 
 </div>

 </div>
 </div>

 </article>

<figcaption>Heart Aerospace and BAE Systems are jointly developing battery packs for the ES-30 aircraft.</figcaption>
</figure>
“BAE Systems’ extensive experience in developing batteries for heavy-duty ground applications, and their experience in developing safety critical control systems for aerospace make them an ideal partner for this important next step for the ES-30 and for the aviation industry,” said Heart’s chief operating officer, Sofia Graflund. “We look forward to decarbonizing air travel together.”
To date, Heart says, it holds provisional sales agreements&nbsp;for 230 of the ES-30, with 100 options and letters of intent for an additional 108 units. Among the prospective operators for the aircraft the company intends to start delivering in 2028 are Air Canada and United Airlines. Letters of intent have been signed by Swedish leasing group Rockton and Portuguese <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-10-14/heart-collects-commitment-six-es-30-electric-airplanes-portugals-sevenair">regional carrier Sevenair</a>.
Heart is building extensive facilities for advancing electric aviation technology at Gothenburg’s Säve Airport. The new Northern Runway campus will accommodate the company’s offices, production, and flight test facilities and&nbsp;provide space for partner companies in new sustainable buildings. The facility is part of a larger Gateway Säve development owned by the Castellum group.

BAE To Develop Battery System for Heart's ES-30 Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner

Swedish electric airplane maker Heart Aerospace and the government of Åland on Thursday said they will collaborate on the deployment of Heart’s hybrid-electric regional airliner, the ES-30, on the Baltic Sea group of islands.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Åland is an autonomous part of Finland with a Swedish-speaking population. It sits in the Baltic Sea between two expansive economic regions, the south of Finland and the Stockholm region on Sweden’s east coast.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Åland’s capital, Mariehamn, lies less than 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and Finland’s third-largest city, Turku, and less than 300 kilometers from Finland’s capital, Helsinki, and second-largest city, Tampere. 
“This is a significant step in the development of the ES-30 as it allows us to focus on the operating infrastructure required in support of zero-emissions flying out of Mariehamn,” said Heart Aerospace chief commercial officer Simon Newitt. “We look forward to working together with the government of Åland to make this a reality.” 
Powered by electric motors with battery-derived energy, the ES-30 design provides for a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers and specifies a fully electric zero-emissions range of 200 kilometers, an extended range of 400 kilometers with a full passenger load, and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers.&nbsp;&nbsp;
With a population of 30,000 people, Åland has a thriving business community with more than 2,800 enterprises, three of which are publicly traded.&nbsp;
“Åland has had a positive population trend for the past 50 years and continues to grow each year,” said Fredrik Karlström, Minister for Trade and Industry for the government of Åland.&nbsp;“As an island community, our flight connections are vital to us, but so is our environment. That is why quiet, zero-emission electric flights are highly interesting to us.” 
Airlines now provide Åland with three flight connections, from Mariehamn to Stockholm and to Turku and Helsinki on the Finnish mainland.
Last September, Heart unveiled the design for the hybrid-electric 30-seat ES-30 as a replacement for the planned all-electric, 19-seat ES-19 model the Swedish startup unveiled&nbsp;in 2020. During a September 15 event at Heart’s Gothenburg headquarters, Air Canada and Swedish aerospace and defense group Saab each committed to investing $5 million in the venture.
Heart also plans to build facilities for advancing electric aviation technology at Gothenburg’s Säve Airport. The Northern Runway campus will accommodate the company’s offices, production, and flight test facilities, as well as provide space for partner companies in new sustainable buildings.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Heart Aerospace Partners with Finnish Islands on Deployment of ES-30 Hybrid-Electric Regional Airplane

Heart Aerospace and Portuguese airline Sevenair have signed a letter of intent (LOI) covering the purchase of three electric ES-30s and an option for three more. With the expression of interest from Sevenair, the Swedish electric airplane manufacturer&nbsp;has collected commitments for the purchase of 230 ES-30s, options for 100, and LOIs for a further 99 of the 30-seat model it <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-09-15/heart-unveils-plans-30-seat-electric-regional-airliner-new-backers">launched in September</a>.
Sevenair serves on Heart’s industry advisory board, representing airlines, leasing companies, and airports worldwide. Specializing in public-service operations and wet-lease contracts, the airline operates seven routes in Portugal, all of which the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/es-30">ES-30</a> can cover with its 250-nm extended range, based on the use of a hybrid-electric propulsion system.
“We believe the ES-30 will be a game changer for the short-distance regional flights, offering low noise and no emissions,” said Sevenair chief commercial officer Alexandre Alves. “These features combined with the possibility of decreasing operating costs heavily impacted by fuel and maintenance will allow any airline operating the aircraft to offer new routes that before were not viable and expand the regional air connectivity to a broader spectrum of passengers.” 
In mid-September, Heart Aerospace replaced the 19-seat <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-06-21/heart-switches-cs-25-certification-plan-es-19-electric-regional-airliner">ES-19 model</a>, announced in 2020, with the ES-30. During a September 15 event at Heart’s Gothenburg headquarters, Air Canada and Swedish aerospace and defense group Saab each committed to investing $5 million in the venture.
Air Canada also placed a provisional order for 30 of the ES-30s, which Heart says will fly with four battery-driven electric motors and, now, a pair of turbo generators to meet reserve energy requirements&nbsp;“without cannibalizing range.”
The new model would offer an all-electric range of 125 nm, an extended full-payload range of twice that distance, and the potential for longer, hybrid-powered flights reaching 500 nm with 25 passengers on board, taking account of standard airline fuel reserves.
Heart has released few details about the new design and which of the existing program partners, including avionics supplier Garmin and aerostructures specialist&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-11-30/heart-appoints-aernnova-design-partner-es-19-electric-airliner" target="_blank">Aernnova</a>, will remain involved with the relaunched electric airliner&nbsp;program. It has not revealed, for instance, the source of the two new turbogenerators.
Drawings of the ES-30 show the addition of a large compartment in the lower fuselage for carrying batteries and new spars connecting the wing to the fuselage.

Heart Aerospace

News

Heart Rolls Out Technology Demonstrator for Hybrid-electric Airliner

Loganair and Heart Team To Decarbonize UK Domestic Flights

Green Regional Airliners Could Break the Market Mold

Heart Presses Ahead With New Independent Hybrid Regional Airliner

Heart Sets Up U.S. R&D Hub for ES-30 Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner

Heart Raises a Further $107 Million for ES-30 Hybrid-electric Airliner

Sweden's Malmö Airport to Host Ground Testing For Heart's ES-30 Hybrid-Electric Regional Airliner

BAE To Develop Battery System for Heart's ES-30 Hybrid-electric Regional Airliner

Heart Aerospace Partners with Finnish Islands on Deployment of ES-30 Hybrid-Electric Regional Airplane

Heart Collects Commitment for Up to Six ES-30 electric airplanes from Portugal’s Sevenair

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN