by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:14 PM ET, Tue July 13, 2021
United Airlines Ventures (UAV) announced an agreement to purchase 100 planes from electric aircraft startup Heart Aerospace.
As part of a deal with Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and Mesa Airlines, United Airlines will purchase 100 of Heart Aerospace's ES-19 aircraft, a 19-seat electric plane that has the potential to fly customers up to 250 miles.
The electric aircraft are expected to be ready for delivery by the end of the decade, with United receiving the planes once they meet safety, business and operating requirements. The deal is part of the airline's commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by100 percent by 2050 without relying on traditional carbon offsets.
"Breakthrough Energy Ventures is the leading voice of investors who are supporting clean-energy technology creation," United Vice President Michael Leskinen said. "We share their view that we have to build companies who have real potential to change how industries operate and, in our case, that means investing in companies like Heart Aerospace who are developing a viable electric airliner."
"We recognize that customers want even more ownership of their own carbon emissions footprint," Leskinen continued. "We're proud to partner with Mesa Air Group to bring electric aircraft to our customers earlier than any other US airliner. Mesa's long serving CEO, Jonathan Ornstein has shown visionary leadership in the field of electric-powered flight."
UAV and BEV are among the first investors in Heart Aerospace, demonstrating confidence in the company's design and creating the potential to fast-track the ES-19's introduction to the market as early as 2026.
Seating 19 passengers, the ES-19 will be larger than any of its all-electric competitors and will be designed to run on the same types of batteries used in electric cars. Once operational, the electric planes could operate on more than 100 of United's regional routes.
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