FutureFlight
Heart Switches to CS-25 Certification Plan for ES-19 Electric Regional Airliner
The Swedish start-up has abandoned plans to certify its aircraft under CS-23 rules but still aims to complete certification by 2026.
Heart Aerospace ES-19 electric regional airliner.
Heart Aerospace aims to bring its ES-19 electric regional airliner to market in 2026. (Image: Heart Aerospace)

Heart Aerospace has altered its strategy for certifying its ES-19 electric regional airliner to seek EASA CS-25 approval instead of continuing with the CS-23 process it began when it launched the program in 2018. The Swedish company says the decision will reduce the regulatory risk and make it easier to deliver the 19-seater to the U.S. market, where it holds provisional orders for up to 300 aircraft from United Airlines and its regional affiliate Mesa.

The European CS-25 rules are closely aligned with the FAA’s 14 CFR Part 25 standards, reducing the burden for Heart to secure concurrent type certification on both sides of the Atlantic. By contrast, aircraft certified under 14 CFR Part 23 rules are not cleared for scheduled commercial airline operations.

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