Sevenair (Portugal) (RVP, Cascais) signed a letter of intent with Heart Aerospace to acquire up three of its still-in-development ES-30 electric aircraft, with options for a further three. The new customer continues a solid run for the Swedish startup that recently signed up Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) and Saab (Sweden) as new shareholders and customers.
"We believe the ES-30 will be a game changer for the short distance regional flights offering low noise and no emissions. These features, combined with the possibility of decreasing operating costs heavily impacted by fuel and maintenance, will allow any airline operating the aircraft to offer new routes that before were not viable and expand the regional air connectivity to a broader spectrum of passengers," Chief Commercial Officer Alexandre Alves said.
Sevenair's small fleet of turboprops, including one Jetstream 32, three Do228-200s, and two PC-6s, operates scheduled services from its bases at Cascais and Funchal to Braganca, Portimão, Vila Real, and Viseu. The airline also operates ad hoc charter and cargo flights. It underlined that all of its existing scheduled routes would be within the advertised range of the ES-30.
Heart Aerospace, which has enjoyed some early sales success with the 30-passenger ES-30, plans to have the plane in commercial service by the end of the decade. Initially capable of flying 200 kilometres when powered exclusively by batteries, the aircraft will be capable of landing and taking off on runways as short as 1,100 metres, an attribute that aligns nicely with Sevenair's stated short runway expertise and willingness to fly into Portuguese airports that other competitors consider difficult.
