KLM joins Heart Aerospace Industry Advisory Board

KLM joins Heart Aerospace Industry Advisory Board to provide input on the design, development, and commercialization of the Swedish company’s first regional electric airplane, the ES-30. Heart Aerospace Industry Advisory Board consists of airlines, governments, leasing companies, and airports from all over the world, each representing a key part of the aviation ecosystem necessary to support the electrification of air travel. KLM, which currently serves 162 destinations worldwide, is part of one of Europe’ largest airline groups, Air France- KLM, and it has put sustainability at the core of its business strategy.

 Maarten Stienen, COO at KLM, commented: “For us it is important to support the development of zero-emission technologies and the ecosystem needed for their implementation. The decarbonization of air travel will not happen overnight and there is no silver bullet yet. We must work together with all chain partners to come with solutions and innovations. In Heart Aerospace we have found a great partner who is – just like us – willing to pull out all the stops to achieve maximum results. The sooner we start, the sooner we will get there” 

Simon Newitt, President and Chief Commercial Officer at Heart Aerospace, said: “With “the flying Dutchman” on our advisory board we all will benefit from KLM’s extensive operational experience. You do not become the world’s oldest operating airline without the ability to reinvent yourself, so we are really excited about having KLM help us shape the future.“

Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a regional electric airplane with a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers driven by electric motors with battery derived energy. It will have a fully electric zero emissions range of 200 kilometers, an extended hybrid range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers, all including typical airline reserves.  Heart Aerospace has a total of 250 firm orders for the ES-30, with options and purchase rights for an additional 120 planes. The company also has letters of intent for a further 91 airplanes.