Heart Aerospace Completes First Flight of World’s Largest Electric Aircraft

Heart Aerospace, developing hybrid-electric airliners to bring commercial aviation into the electric era, led by Anders Forslund and Klara Forslund, announced the successful first flight of the company’s X1 demonstrator aircraft. Spanning 106 feet, measuring 76 feet nose to tail, and weighing more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff, X1 is the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown.

Heart’s X1 completed its first piloted flight on August 12, 2026, at the company’s flight-test base in Plattsburgh, New York. The 27-minute mission reached 1,100 feet and demonstrated more than one megawatt of all-electric propulsion.

Conducted under an FAA experimental airworthiness certificate, the flight included taxi, takeoff, climb, maneuvering, and landing.

Powered entirely by batteries, X1 used roughly $5 of electricity during the flight, highlighting the potential for electric propulsion to reduce aircraft operating costs and exposure to jet fuel price volatility.

Heart Aerospace’s first X1 flight demonstrates electric flight at commercial-airliner scale, highlighting the potential to reshape airline economics.

Electric propulsion could enable more affordable, frequent, and cleaner air travel while expanding service to airports closer to communities.

— Anders Forslund, Founder and CEO, Heart Aerospace

X1 is a full-scale demonstrator for Heart Aerospace’s ES-30 production aircraft, designed to validate key technologies, aerodynamics, flight performance, and the company’s development capabilities.

The ES-30 is a 30-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner being developed for FAA Part 25 certification, with commitments from major carriers including United Airlines, Air Canada, and JSX.

X1’s first flight marks a significant technical milestone, demonstrating the potential of electric commercial aircraft to improve the passenger experience and airline economics.

United Airlines continues to support Heart Aerospace’s development of the ES-30 and its potential future role in the airline’s network.

— Michael Leskinen, Chief Financial Officer, United Airlines

Aviation’s energy transition will require a range of solutions, including operational efficiencies, sustainable aviation fuels, and new aircraft technologies.

Air Canada’s investment in Heart Aerospace reflects its support for technologies with the potential to transform aviation, with X1’s first flight marking an important milestone for the ES-30 program.

— John Di Bert, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Air Canada

With entry into service targeted for 2031, Heart Aerospace expects the ES-30 to reduce operating costs by more than 40% compared with legacy regional aircraft.

The savings are expected to come from lower energy and maintenance costs, simplified electric propulsion, and improved aircraft uptime and reliability. Advances in battery technology, crew efficiency, and lower exposure to emissions-related fees could further expand the cost advantage over time.

The X1 program has given Heart Aerospace the ability to design, build, test, operate, and continuously improve a clean-sheet electric commercial aircraft.

That full-stack capability will carry directly into the ES-30, the company’s first production aircraft and the foundation for a broader electric airliner platform.

— Ben Stabler, Chief Technology Officer, Heart Aerospace

Heart is currently developing the first pre-production ES-30 at its pilot manufacturing plant in Los Angeles, with flight testing scheduled to begin in 2028.

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