SAS has today signed a letter of support with Heart Aerospace, with the option to add Heart’s 30 passenger electric-hybrid ES-30 regional aircraft to their fleet. The aircraft is expected to be certified for commercial flight by 2028.
On Thursday (September 15, 2022), SAS announced the signing of a letter of support with Gothenburg, Sweden based Heart Aerospace, which includes the option of adding Heart’s electric-hybrid ES-30 regional aircraft to their fleet. The aircraft will have a capacity for 30 passengers and a fully-electric range of 200 km, which extends to 400 km thanks to a reserve-hybrid system architecture. If passenger capacity is limited to 25, the ES-30's range can be extended to 800 km. Heart Aerospace expects the aircraft to be certified for commercial flights by 2028.
In Thursday’s announcement, SAS’ President and CEO, Anko van der Werff, said,
“Together with the entire industry, we have the responsibility to make air travel more sustainable. SAS is dedicated to transforming aviation so that coming generations can continue connecting the world and enjoy the benefits of travel – but with a more sustainable footprint. The letter of support with Heart Aerospace is an important step in that direction. 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.”
SAS is the leading airline in Scandinavia, normally carrying over 30 million passengers annually from its main hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm to 125 destinations in Europe, the US and Asia (pre-pandemic figures). The company has targeted a reduction in carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2025, compared to 2005 levels, and hopes to transition to 100% biofuel for domestic flights by 2030. SAS also offers ground handling services, technical maintenance and cargo services. The carrier is a founding member of the Star Alliance, which is celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2022.
Source: SAS / Cision