Heart Aerospace


Heart Aerospace AB is an American aerospace manufacturer based in Los Angeles, California.
Heart Aerospace was founded in 2018 by Anders and Klara Forslund in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 2024, the company maintained headquarters in Gothenburg and a research and development facility in California. By 2025, the company had moved the headquarters and all operations to Los Angeles.

History

Heart Aerospace was established in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2018 by Anders and Klara Forslund, originally as a government-sponsored project. They first set up operations at Säve Airport near Gothenburg.
The company participated in the 2019 Y Combinator's Winter Batch and subsequently unveiled their design for the ES-19 all‑electric regional aircraft. In January 2022, Heart Aerospace conducted a successful test flight with a one-fifth-scale model of it's ES-19 airplane. Then, in September 2022, the company changed direction and unveiled the ES-30, which was a slightly larger hybrid-electric powered regional airliner. They also announced an industry advisory board with members representing airlines, leasing companies, and airports. In 2024, Heart Aerospace unveiled the Heart X1, its first full-scale demonstrator aircraft, as a development tool for the ES30. They also announced plans for their first test flight at Plattsburgh International Airport followed by the X2 prototype. In September 2024, Heart Aerospace filed two EU design applications and one patent application for their integrated nacelle design. That same year, they were also awarded a FAST grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the design of hybrid engine control systems.
In May 2024, Heart Aerospace announced the establishment of a new research and development hub in Los Angeles focusing on their hybrid-electric propulsion system, and the Forslunds moved there to oversee operations. The company subsequently closed their Swedish operations in 2025 and moved their headquarters to Los Angeles.

Order summary

The company also has letters of intent for a further 191 airplanes from Braathens Regional Airlines, Loganair, Icelandair, JSX, Scandinavian Airlines, Sounds Air, and Sevenair Air Services.

Aircraft

Heart Aerospace’s first design, the ES-19, was unveiled in 2020 following their participation in the 2019 Y Combinator's Winter Batch. The ES‑19 was a 19‑seat, all‑electric regional aircraft concept designed for short-haul routes of approximately. In June 2022, the company changed their application to a heavier weight category and EASA CS-25 certification which would not require an exemption from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for being overweight. This design was then superseded in September 2022 by the ES-30.
The ES-30 is a 30-seat hybrid-electric powered regional airliner, designed for enhanced sustainability and efficiency on short-haul routes. It is projected to have an electric-only range of and a hybrid-electric range of, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional aircraft on similar routes. With a reduced passenger load of 25, a range of may be achievable. Development of the ES 30 is partially funded by a FAST grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The company aims to achieve type certification for the ES-30 by the end of the 2020s.
File:Heart Aerospace X1 Prototype - Ground Handling Test.jpg|thumb|right|Ground crew conducts a turnaround test of Heart Aerospace’s X1 prototype, loading baggage and preparing the aircraft for simulated flight in September 2024.
In 2024, Heart Aerospace unveiled its first full-scale demonstrator aircraft, the Heart X1. The X1's maiden flight, powered solely by electricity, was anticipated in the second quarter of 2025. This has not happened as of the third quarter of 2025.
Following the X1 program, Heart Aerospace plans to construct a pre-production prototype, the Heart X2. The X2 will incorporate design refinements based on the X1's operational experience and will feature the company’s hybrid propulsion system, which is slated for a hybrid-electric flight demonstration in 2026.

Financing

In the spring of 2019, after participating in Y Combinator, Heart Aerospace raised US$2.1 million in seed funding led by EQT Ventures, the Norrsken Foundation, and Chris Sacca’s Lowercarbon Capital. By March 2021, the company documented interest in their concept airplane, the ES 19, from Finnair, the Nordic Network for Electric Aviation, and airlines in New Zealand, Canada, the US, and the UK.
The company secured $35 million in Series A funding in July 2021, led by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, United Airlines Ventures, and Mesa Air Group, with participation from existing seed investors EQT Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital. At that time, United Airlines Ventures and Mesa Air Group also announced an order of up to 200 ES-19 planes.
In September 2022, Air Canada and Saab each invested $5 million in Heart Aerospace. Concurrently, Air Canada placed a purchase order for 30 ES-30 aircraft. Prior orders for the ES-19 from United and Mesa Air Group were converted to the ES-30. The company also confirmed letters of intent and orders from Nordic operators like SAS AB, Braathens Regional Aviation, Icelandair, up to 40 planes for Rockton Sustainable Aviation, and an order from Sounds Air in New Zealand. By the end of 2022, Heart Aerospace had secured 230 orders for the ES-30.
In February 2024, Heart Aerospace raised a total of $107 million in Series B funding, increasing its total capital raised to $145 million. Investors included the European Innovation Council Fund and Sagitta Ventures, a Danish early-stage investment firm, as well as some returning investors like Air Canada, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, EQT Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Norrsken VC, United Airlines, and Y Combinator.
In 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration selected Heart Aerospace to receive a $4.1 million FAST grant to support the design of hybrid engine control systems.
Heart Aerospace raised $40 million from an existing investor in the spring of 2025. By the fall of 2025, the company had raised more than $185 million in venture funding. It also had 250 orders for the ES-30, and options or purchase rights for an additional 120 planes.