KLM is joining the Heart Aerospace industry advisory board to provide input on the design, development, and commercialisation of the Swedish company’s first regional electric airplane, the ES-30.

Heart Aerospace’s board consists of airlines, governments, leasing companies, and airports from all over the world, each representing a key part of the aviation ecosystem necessary to support the electrification of air travel.

“For us it is important to support the development of zero-emission technologies and the ecosystem needed for their implementation. The decarbonisation of air travel will not happen overnight and there is no silver bullet yet. We must work together with all chain partners to come with solutions and innovations. In Heart Aerospace we have found a great partner who is – just like us – willing to pull out all the stops to achieve maximum results. The sooner we start, the sooner we will get there,” said Maarten Stienen, COO at KLM.

The Dutch flag carrier, which currently serves 162 destinations worldwide, is part of one of Europe’s largest airline groups, Air France- KLM, and has put sustainability at the core of its business strategy.

“With ‘the flying Dutchman’ on our advisory board we all will benefit from KLM’s extensive operational experience. You do not become the world’s oldest operating airline without the ability to reinvent yourself, so we are really excited about having KLM help us shape the future, “said Simon Newitt, president and CCO at Heart Aerospace.

Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a regional electric airplane with a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers driven by electric motors with battery derived energy. It will have a fully electric zero emissions range of 200 kilometres, an extended hybrid range of 400 kilometres with 30 passengers and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometres with 25 passengers, all including typical airline reserves.

Heart Aerospace has a total of 250 firm orders for the ES-30, with options and purchase rights for an additional 120 planes. The company also has letters of intent for a further 91 aircraft.
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