Wellington Airport Partners With Heart Aerospace On Electric Aircraft

Friday, 16 September 2022, 12:50 pm
Press Release: Wellington Airport Limited

Wellington Airport is proud to have joined a new Industry Advisory Board for Heart Aerospace, helping the Swedish company develop its first electric aircraft, the ES-30.

“We’re proud to be fellow pioneers in decarbonising aviation and to help guide the ES-30 into active service,” says Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke.

“As Sounds Air’s hub airport we’ve been working closely with their team and Heart Aerospace for several years now and it is fantastic to see the project going to the next level.

“Electric air travel is part of the future and it’s coming much sooner than many people realise. With Air New Zealand also joining the partnership we’re expecting to see e-flights operating our high frequency sectors across New Zealand’s Cook Strait this decade.

“It’s vital we help the aviation sector transition to lower emissions while also maintaining and growing the connections between people and businesses, which is crucial for a small island nation like New Zealand.

“Short haul electric flights are the first step in solving this challenge. Wellington Airport’s central location means we are perfectly placed as a hub for these flights, with two thirds of our scheduled domestic flights on routes within the range of the ES-30 aircraft.”

“We aim to electrify regional air travel, but we cannot do this alone,” says Anders Forslund, founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace.

“Decarbonizing air travel requires a collective effort. With our partnerships we can impact the entire aviation ecosystem from creating more efficient airplanes to more accessible airlines and airports.”

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“Sounds Air’s focus is to achieve net zero emissions by 2030 by becoming New Zealand’s regional electric airline of choice, but we can’t achieve this alone,” says Sounds Air Chairman Rhyan Wardman.

“We have been working closely with Heart Aerospace and Wellington Airport for some time. Heart Aerospace’s Advisory Board accelerates this work to establish the necessary infrastructure needed to support an electric fleet and get this up and running for Kiwis.”

Other members of the Industry Advisory Board include Air New Zealand and Christchurch Airport.

As part of this transition work Wellington Airport is also leading a technical group with other New Zealand airports and airlines investigating the charging requirements to support electric flights.

Wellington Airport

Wild at Heart

Wellington Airport provides a world class airport for visitors, the Wellington region and New Zealand. It's international terminal, The Rock, is ranked 4th best in the World. Being very close to the CBD saves 5.4 million travellers plenty of time and makes Wellington a more attractive place to visit. The Airport won the Wellington Gold Awards for Safety and is a major supporter of local events, attractions and community groups.