Scandinavian carrier SAS has signed a letter of support with electric aircraft start-up Heart Aerospace for the option to add their new ES-30 aircraft to the SAS regional aircraft fleet, the airline announced on Thursday.
“Together with the entire industry, we have the responsibility to make air travel more sustainable,” said SAS president and CEO, Anko van der Werff.
“The electric aircraft will be a great complement to our existing fleet serving shorter and thinner routes in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, in a more sustainable way. The innovation and new technology this represents will take us towards our future goal of becoming a zero-emission industry,” he said.
SAS joined forces with Heart Aerospace back in 2019 to drive the development of electric aircraft and will now be part of the start-up’s new Industry Advisory Board. The carrier will also assist in defining the requirements for the ES-30 aircraft, which will be certified for commercial flights by 2028.
The ES-30 aircraft has a fully electric range of 200 kilometres, while a reserve-hybrid system can be used for longer flights, extending range to up to 800 kilometres with 25 passengers.