Heart Aerospace Unveils 36-Seat ES-36 Hybrid Airliner With JSX Order

Heart Aerospace has unveiled the ES-36, a 36-seat series-hybrid regional airliner that replaces its earlier ES-30 design. The announcement on 23 September came with a deposit-backed purchase agreement from US semi-private carrier JSX for 50 aircraft, plus rights to buy another 50.

What changed from the ES-30

The ES-36 carries six more passengers than the ES-30, with payload up by 1,415 pounds, while keeping the same projected maximum takeoff weight and battery capacity. The biggest structural change is the powertrain. Heart has moved from four nacelles to two, each housing a series-hybrid electric powertrain rated at 1.65 megawatts. Wingspan shrinks by 11 feet to 95 feet.

The company has returned to a series-hybrid layout after abandoning that approach in 2024, a decision Chief Executive Anders Forslund has explained to Aviation International News. A simpler propulsion system is expected to cut maintenance costs, and Heart projects operating costs 40 percent below those of legacy regional aircraft.

Range and schedule

Heart quotes an all-electric range of 125 miles plus reserves and a hybrid range of 745 miles plus reserves. First flight is targeted for late 2028, with FAA Part 25 certification and entry into service expected in 2031. Pre-production assembly is planned in Los Angeles.

The redesign draws on lessons from the X1 demonstrator, which Heart flew for the first time in August 2026. According to AVweb, the X1 reached 1,100 feet above ground level and delivered more than one megawatt of power during a 27-minute flight from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York. Heart describes it as the largest all-electric aircraft flown to date.

The JSX commitment

JSX’s agreement covers 50 firm aircraft, backed by deposits, and purchase rights for 50 more, which would make the order worth up to 100 aircraft. The carrier plans to work with Heart on cabin configuration, charging procedures, route planning and airport readiness.

For a start-up that has restructured its programme more than once, a launch-style customer with a defined role matters. Airlines are being asked to commit years before a type certificate exists, so a deposit-backed deal at this scale is a stronger signal than a memorandum of understanding.

The risks are still considerable. Part 25 certification of a new hybrid propulsion architecture has no precedent, the 2031 service date is more than four years away, and Heart has yet to fly a full-size ES-36 prototype. The X1 demonstrator provides data on the electric elements, but the series-hybrid system will need its own test campaign.

Heart has not announced further customers beyond JSX in this release.

The ES-36 also repositions the programme in the market. At 36 seats it sits in the segment between 19-seat commuter aircraft and 50-seat regional jets, where operators such as JSX run short, high-frequency routes. Heart says the change gives airlines a larger revenue payload without increasing the aircraft’s weight or battery size, which is the main trade the redesign is built around.