Finnair (AY, Helsinki Vantaa) has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Heart Aerospace (Gothenburg City) for up to twenty ES-19s as part of its commitment to halving its net CO2 emissions by the end of 2025 and achieving carbon neutrality in 2045.
The carrier said in a statement that among the range of measures needed to achieve this goal are improving fuel efficiency, reducing aircraft weight, combining different modes of transport, emissions trading, and sustainable aviation fuels.
"We're excited about Finnair signing this letter of interest for our ES-19 aircraft," Anders Forslund, CEO at Heart Aerospace, said in a statement. "Finnair’s climate goals are among the most ambitious in the airline industry, and we believe that our electric aircraft can play an important role in creating zero emissions regional travel. We've been working closely together in the Nordic Network for some time. We are very impressed by the dedication and commitment of the Finnair team, and we're thankful for their support as we take the next steps in building and certifying the ES-19."
Heart Aerospace is currently working on a prototype of the ES-19. The 19-seater all-electric turboprop will have a range of 400kilometres and is due to enter commercial service in 2026.
The Finnish carrier is part of the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation (NEA) whose aim is to drive the development and use of electric aircraft throughout the Nordic countries. Aside from Finnair and Heart Aerospace, its other members include Air Greenland, Avinor, BRA - Braathens Regional Airlines, El-fly AS, Icelandair, NISA (Nordic Innovation Sustainable Aviation), RISE, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, and Swedavia.
