Heart Aerospace gets FAA nod for X1 electric aircraft tests

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a special airworthiness certificate that permits Heart Aerospace to commence flight testing of its full‑scale X1 electric aircraft prototype at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York. The X1, a hybrid‑electric demonstrator with a 30‑passenger capacity, will become the world’s largest electric aircraft in flight once it takes to the sky.

Heart Aerospace, a Swedish‑founded company now headquartered in California, is using the X1 to validate technologies for its future regional ES‑30 hybrid‑electric airliner, which aims to operate routes up to 200 km on battery power and up to 800 km with sustainable aviation fuel. Icelandair, which sits on the aircraft’s advisory board, has signed a letter of intent to purchase five ES‑30 aircraft, targeting commercial service entry by 2031. The company projects operating cost reductions of more than 40 % compared with conventional regional jets.