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Finnair has signed a so-called letter of interest with Swedish electric aircraft developer Heart Aerospace that could lead to the airline’s acquisition of as many as 20 of Heart’s 19-seat <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/heart-electric-airliner">ES-19</a> model for use on short routes. According to Heart CEO Anders Forslund, 12 airlines have now signed letters of interest covering more than 300 prospective orders, with Finnair being the most prominent to make a public commitment so far.
Heart Aerospace in September unveiled the electric propulsion system meant to power the ES-19. Scheduled for entry into service in third-quarter 2026, the airplane features four propellers powered by electric motors.
The preliminary design for the aluminum-fuselage, fixed-wing model shows winglets and a T-shaped tail and somewhat resembles a smaller version of the De Havilland Canada Dash 7. Heart's engineering team is engaging with the prospective airline customers to get their input to finalise the design for the new aircraft and ensure that they are taking account of operational and commercial needs.
According to Forslund, Heart is close to making an announcement about further investment in its venture. Later this year, it expects to announce several partners who will supply key systems for the ES-19 and potentially help with manufacturing too. “So far we have been overwhelmed by the number of Tier One suppliers expressing an interest and we expect to put together an international team,” he told FutureFlight. “We have built the propulsion system demonstrator and the next challenge is to show that we can build a full aircraft and make it work with all the subsystems, such as avionics, flight controls, and de-icing.”
Finnair’s acquisition would help it meet its goal of flying carbon neutral by 2045. The carrier has set an interim objective of halving carbon dioxide from its fleet by 2030.
Two years ago, Finnair joined the&nbsp;Nordic Network for Electric Aviation&nbsp;(NEA), which has seen governments, airlines and companies collaborate on new projects to develop sustainable ways to travel. The NEA’s goals center on four key areas: standardizing electric air infrastructure in the Nordic countries; developing business models for regional point-to-point connectivity; developing aircraft technology for Nordic weather conditions; and creating a platform for European and global collaborations.
In the same region, the Norwegian government has said that all domestic flights must use electric aircraft by 2040. In Sweden, there is a mandate for all domestic airline services to run without fossil fuel by 2030, and this will extend to international flights from 2045. And this week, the Swedish government said from July it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2021-03-23/sweden-set-introduce-emissions-based-charges-flights">plans to introduce</a>&nbsp;takeoff and landing charges that it says will encourage airlines to use more fuel-efficient aircraft with lower carbon emissions.
“We have worked closely with the NEA but getting this commitment from Finnair is really important,” said Forslund. “The big challenge of building an electric aircraft isn’t just in the technology, but also building the momentum to create a project like this and building it all the way.”
Finnair’s plans would initially call for the use of electric aircraft on its shortest routes, helping to cut emissions and, potentially, invigorating local economies, said Forslund.
Heart Aerospace, which is headquartered at Gothenburg’s Save Airport, quotes a range for the all-electric ES-19 aircraft of up to around 400 km (250 miles). Specifications also show the airplane could operate on runways as short as 750 meters (2,461 feet), fly at a top speed of 247 mph, and cruise at a speed of 207 mph. The company maintains that the low speeds will not pose a disadvantage on short sectors, especially because the aircraft would be able to operate from smaller, less crowded airfields that will shorten door-to-door journey times.
Finnair’s plans would have to address infrastructure needs as well, developing smaller airports to allow flights between smaller towns and cities in a shift away from the traditional hub-and-spoke airport model.
“You need to really understand what is needed at the airports as well,” explained Anne Larilahti, head of sustainability at Finnair.&nbsp;“You can’t expand faster than the available infrastructure that supports these airplanes.” &nbsp;
Charging points will be required at every airport where an electric aircraft takes off and lands. While Heart Aerospace believes ground crews could fully charge the ES-19’s batteries 1,000 times over their lifetime, the airplanes would need charging every time they land.
“It makes sense to have a standard [for charging],” said Larilahti. “How much easier is life now that we have USB?”
Finally, Larilahti pointed out that the cold weather in the Nordic region makes it the perfect place to pioneer electric aviation technology. “Our cold climate has an impact on batteries and operating a light airplane,” she said. “If we know how to do it here, it’s easier to do it elsewhere.”

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Finnair Signals Plans to Electrify Fleet With Commitment to Heart's ES-19 Airliner

Heart Aerospace this week unveiled the electric propulsion system that will power the ES-19 regional airliner it claims will be ready to enter commercial service in the summer of 2026. The Swedish company, which is backed by EQT Ventures, also announced that it has secured €2.5 million ($2.9 million) in financial support from the European Innovation Council Green Deal Accelerator Program.
The 19-seat <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/heart-electric-airliner">ES-19</a> features four propellers powered by electric motors. The preliminary design for the aluminum-fuselage, fixed-wing model shows winglets and a T-shaped tail and somewhat resembles a smaller version of the De Havilland Canada Dash 7.
According to Heart Aerospace, which is headquartered at Gothenburg’s Save Airport, the all-electric aircraft will be able to fly up to around 400 km (250 miles) and operate from runways as short as 750 meters (2,461 feet). It is expected to have a top speed of 215 knots and a cruise speed of 180 knots. The company maintains that these low speeds will not be a disadvantage on short sectors, especially because the aircraft will be able to operate from smaller, less crowded airfields that will shorten door-to-door journey times.
The company was formed in 2018, initially as part of the Electric Air Travel in Sweden (ELISE) project, and funded by the country’s Vinnova innovation agency along with several other undisclosed backers. Its engineering team includes veterans of almost 70 aircraft programs, including the Bombardier CSeries, HondaJet, and Zunum Aero’s electric aircraft.
Testing has already begun with a ground-based prototype of the complete propulsion system, and a 20 percent scale model of the aircraft is due to start flight tests before the end of 2020. The program plan calls for a full-scale prototype, which&nbsp;will be quite close to the series production design, to start flight tests in mid-2024.
The aircraft will be certified under EASA's CS23 standards. The manufacturer is in the early stages of applying for design organization approval.
Heart has developed its propulsion system in-house and is using automotive industry batteries as its power source. MT Propeller is providing the ES-19’s seven-blade propellers. The company is in talks with several aerospace groups with a view to source cockpit systems and flight controls.
The company claims that eight airlines from across Europe, North America, and Asia have signed letters of intent to purchase a total of 147 examples of the ES-19. These include SAS, Braathens and Wideroe in Scandinavia; Air Greenland; New Zealand’s Sounds Air; Pascan in Quebec; Quantum Air in California; and UK startup CityClipper.
Heart has not published a base price for the aircraft but at the stated €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) combined value of the letters of intent this would suggest a unit price of almost $8.8 million. The company believes the cost could fall further as production costs for the propulsion system are reduced when volumes are scaled up. It also intends to offer a version of the ES-19 with fewer seats that would be suitable for executive and corporate transportation.
As electric propulsion technology improves, Heart has ambitions to extend the range of the ES-19 or subsequent models to around 2,000 km (1,243 miles). According to the company, this range would cover as many as 85 percent of airline departures worldwide and 43 percent of current carbon dioxide emissions from aviation.
The European Innovation Council Green Deal Accelerator Program is backed by the European Commission and the European Development Bank. Under the proposed European Green Deal, the European Commission is seeking to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030.
Initially, Heart is targeting the anticipated early adoption of electric aircraft in Scandinavia. In its native Sweden, the government has committed to making all domestic flights fossil-fuel-free by 2030, while neighboring Norway has a goal of all domestic flights being electric-powered by 2040.
According to Heart Aerospace CEO and founder Anders Forslund, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased pressure on the air transport industry to reshape its approach to environmental and financial sustainability. He pointed to the fact that in Europe some government aid for struggling airlines has come with requirements that it be matched by more ambitious targets for reducing the sector’s carbon emissions.
In the face of declining demand for air travel prompted by Covid and the so-called "flight shaming"&nbsp;trend for consumers to fly less frequently, Forslund commented,&nbsp;“This is a reset moment, as across the board&nbsp;the provision of public finance comes with the caveat that bailouts will only be offered in exchange for cutting emissions, and electric aircraft could be the most cost-effective and sustainable way to travel.”

Heart Aerospace

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Finnair Signals Plans to Electrify Fleet With Commitment to Heart's ES-19 Airliner

Heart Aerospace Advances Plans For ES-19 Electric Regional Airliner

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