OSLO – Rockton, a Swedish-based lessor, becomes the most recent aviation company to sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the Swedish Heart Aerospace ES-30 electric aircraft.

Eyeing a sustainable market

The Swedish-based lessor, Rockton, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire 40 ES-30 electric aircraft from Swedish aerospace company, Heart Aerospace.

Niklas Lund, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rockton, said the following on the announcement: “The Heart ES-30 is what we have been looking for. A sustainable electric aircraft with a reserve-hybrid solution that enables it to have a meaningful range and payload for the commercial airline market, and which can be available in a not-too-distant future.”

He then added: “The road to sustainable aviation needs to start in earnest and this new-technology propulsion aircraft will lead. Rockton is convinced that the Heart ES-30 will be in great demand among regional airlines that seeks a path to meaningful emission reductions with competitive operating costs.”

Following the flow

As recently reported, both Air Canada (AC), Canada’s national carrier, and SAS (SK), Scandinavia’s carrier, announced their signings of LOI’s (Letter of Intent) with Heart Aerospace, for the ES-30 aircraft. Both companies showing their interest for the ES-30 as a milestone in their zero-emission-mission.

About the Heart Aerospace ES-30

The ES-30 is an electric aircraft designed by Gothenburg, Sweden-based, Heart Aerospace. The aircraft is capable of carrying 30 passengers, at a range of 200 kilometres all electric.

However, the aircraft will be able to reach a range of 400 kilometres with 30 passengers onboard with it’s reserve-hybrid solution, running the aircraft on SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel), even reaching distances as far as 800 kilometres with 25 passengers.

The ES-30 aircraft is to be certified for commercial flight operations by 2028, and will be a massive step forward in the aviation industry’s move for a sustainable way to fly.

Battery wise, the ES-30 is set to be fully charged between 30 and 50 minutes for the initial 200km range. However, Heart Aerospace’s goals for upgraded battery goes as follows:

• Late 2020s: 200 kilometres electric & 400 kilometres hybrid
• Mid 2030s: 300 kilometres electric & 500 kilometres hybrid
• Late 2030s: 400 kilometres electric & 600 kilometres hybrid

On the design of the ES-30, Heart Aerospace CEO, Anders Forslund said: “We have a plan and it’s not just to build a new electric airplane, but a whole new industry.”

“Sweden is the origin of flight shame, an anti-flying movement, but with the Northern Runway we will make electric air travel a reality and preserve flying for future generations.”

96 LOI’s for the ES-30

Heart Aerospace has explained that they have 96 LOI’s for the ES-30, with some of the airlines and companies signing LOI’s being:

• SAS (SK)
• Icelandair (FI)
• Air Canada (AC)
• Rockton (Lessor)

Overall

In the headhunt for sustainable and low-emission air travel, the ES-30 comes a long way, and with it’s sister project, the ES-19, Heart Aerospace is aiming high in the race for the zero-emission-mission in the aviation industry.

With multiple LOI’s and acquisition deals, as well as acquisition of share interest from both SAAB and Air Canada (AC), Heart Aerospace is on a good path to achieve what we once thought, was impossible.