Scandinavian Seaplanes, a charter and tourism operator based in Bergen, Norway, will convert its fleet of six Cessna floatplanes to battery-electric powertrains supplied by Dovetail Electric Aviation, an emerging Australian-Spanish joint venture with which it has signed a strategic partnership agreement. The first of the Scandinavian Cessnas are expected to be converted from 2026 once Dovetail secures regulatory certification of its battery-electric powertrain, which will be test flown next year on an amphibious Cessna Caravan operated by Australia’s Sydney Seaplanes, a co-founder of Dovetail. The announcement closely follows an investment in Dovetail by the Australian state of Victoria, where the company is separately developing a hydrogen-electric propulsion system with greater flight range than the initial battery-electric powertrain. It plans to test-fly its first hydrogen-electric plane, a converted Beechcraft King Air, in 2026.   

The commitment by Scandinavian Seaplanes, Norway’s only operator of amphibious aircraft, comes well in advance of a Norwegian government mandate requiring all short-haul flights to be electrically powered by 2040. The company says the conversions will make it Europe’s first operator of electric seaplanes.

The airline currently operates four Cessna 206 and two Cessna 180 floatplanes and is planning to add another Cessna 206H, potentially before the end of this year. It is also looking to introduce a larger Cessna Caravan for its Bergen operations, and a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 200 for airport-based flights from next year, when it plans to expand its activities to include scheduled flights.

The agreement with Scandinavian Seaplanes takes to more than 70 the number of firm orders and options for Dovetail’s battery-electric and hydrogen-electric propulsion conversion kits to customers including three seaplane operators. Dovetail’s biggest customer is UK-based regional aircraft lessor MONTE with 25 firm orders for zero-emission Dovetail powertrains, and options for up to 25 more.

The announcement of the Scandinavian Seaplanes agreement closely followed an investment in Dovetail of an undisclosed amount from the government of the southern Australian state of Victoria, to which the aerospace manufacturer recently transferred from, Sydney. 

Under the funding deal, details of which were not disclosed, Invest Victoria, the state government’s main investment attraction and promotion agency is offering non-dilutive financial support to Dovetail to help advance local development of the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector.

In return for government support, Dovetail has relocated its administrative centre from Sydney to the Victorian capital, Melbourne, and its hydrogen-electric test facility to the Latrobe Regional Airport south-east of Melbourne, a region which itself is being transformed from a former coal mining district. A major mine, once the hub of the region’s industry, was closed in 2017, and Australia’s largest brown coal-fired power station, still located in the region, will be decommissioned in 2035.

While progressing towards test-flying its battery-electric prototype in Sydney, Dovetail is using the new Victorian facility to evolve prototypes of its hydrogen-electric powertrain, which will be test-flown in Victoria in 2027 using a Beechcraft King Air aircraft. One of the plane’s two engines will be replaced with a hydrogen-electric powerplant, which the company will introduce to deliver significantly greater flying range or revenue payload than the initial battery-electric system.

“We are really pleased to support Dovetail Electric Aviation’s new centre in the Latrobe Valley, which will deliver world-leading innovations for the aviation sector, create new jobs in regional Victoria and contribute to the state’s net-zero emissions goal,” said Harriet Shing MP, State Parliamentary representative for Eastern Victoria.

Dovetail’s CEO, David Doral, welcomed the support from the Victorian government which, coupled with other investments, was helping quicken the company’s development of zero emission aircraft propulsion.

“This investment will enable us to accelerate our research and development efforts, bringing us closer to our vision of a sustainable, efficient, and accessible aviation future,” he said.

Meanwhile, as well as backing Dovetail, MONTE  has announced a strategic partnership with Natilus, a US aerospace company developing a next-generation blended-wing-body regional cargo aircraft that it claims will offer an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions through its more aerodynamically efficient structure, and reduce operating costs by more than half. MONTE will provide leasing and financing options for the Natilus Kona aircraft, which the San Diego-based company says will be its first commercially available aircraft.

“This collaboration represents a significant step forward in our mission to revolutionise the cargo transport industry with innovative, environmentally-friendly solutions,” said Aleksey Matyushev, CEO and co-founder of Natilus.

The company says the blended-wing-body design is ideally suited for hydrogen-electric propulsion as hydrogen is volume centric and so suitable for carrying hydrogen tanks without impacting payload or range.

“The Kona is a unique aircraft that has been developed specifically to optimise air cargo operations,” said MONTE COO Timothy Eyre. “The opportunity to integrate hydrogen electric propulsion systems into the aircraft is strongly aligned with our strategy to decarbonise regional aviation.”

Top photo: Scandinavian Seaplanes

Bottom image: The Natilus Kona blended-wing-body regional cargo aircraft

Tony Harrington

Correspondent

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Aciturri, a major European aerostructures and engine components producer, has become the latest investor in Dovetail Electric Aviation, an emerging Australian developer of both battery-electric and hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for regional airliners. Aciturri is a significant supplier to major aerospace companies including Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Deutsche Aircraft, Safran, Rolls-Royce, Daher and air taxi manufacturer Lilium. As lead investor in Dovetail’s seed investment round, tranche 2, it elevates the Australian company’s international profile and manufacturing capabilities, ahead of the planned first flight early next year of a battery-electric Cessna Caravan seaplane, as it targets 2026 certification. Dovetail also plans to convert a Beechcraft King Air commuter plane to hydrogen-electric propulsion during 2025.

Dovetail, a partnership between Spanish aerospace company Dante and tourist airline Sydney Seaplanes, said Aciturri would become both a key industrial partner and lead investor, but did not disclose the scale or timing of the investment.

Dovetail is seeking $7 million to progress its zero-emission propulsion systems, having already secured investments from companies including Australian airline operator Regional Express (Rex), Spanish carriers Volotea and Air Nostrum, and Australia-based climate solution accelerator EnergyLab in its first round of seed funding. Aciturri is leading the second round of funding, which will close shortly, with Dovetail expecting additional backing from at least one institutional venture capital fund.

“Aciturri’s involvement brings not only financial support but also significant capabilities that will greatly enhance our technology roadmap and accelerate our path to market,” said Dovetail CEO David Doral. “Their track record and expertise in high technology aerostructures and engine parts will add immense value to our operations, helping us bring our innovative solutions to market faster and more efficiently.” 

The testbed Cessna Caravan due to fly electrically next year will be from the fleet of partner company Sydney Seaplanes, while the King Air for hydrogen-electric trials will come from the fleet of Rex sibling Pel-Air. Based on this trial, Rex also plans to retrofit a hydrogen-electric powertrain into one of the 52 Saab 340 commuter planes it operates on regional routes throughout Australia.

Rex operates the world’s largest fleet of the type, for which there is currently no equivalent-size replacement, and has signalled that, once certified, the hydrogen-electric powertrain could be retrofitted onto more of its Saabs.

Aciturri operates two business streams from multiple facilities in Spain, Portugal, France, Morocco and Brazil, employing 2,900 people in the design, manufacture and assembly of key aerostructures including wings, fuselages, empennage and fairings, and the production of engine components including primary structures, casings and rings, and high precision machining.   

“This partnership represents a significant opportunity to drive innovation in the aviation industry and broaden our contribution to a more sustainable future,” said Alvaro Fernandez Baragaño, CEO of Aciturri Aeroengines and the group’s chief diversification officer.

Dovetail has already secured orders and options valued at more than $160 million for its zero emission conversion kits from customers including UK-based MONTE Aircraft Leasing, which specialises in fleets to serve sub-regional markets and focused on financing and leasing solutions for zero and low emissions technology. It has announced its intention to buy up to 50 powertrains from Dovetail, a mix of battery-electric models to power new or retrofitted Cessna Caravans and hydrogen-electric conversion kits for Beechcraft King Air models.

MONTE will become the preferred financing provider for aircraft converted to Dovetail’s propulsion systems.

In a separate Australian partnership, MONTE has partnered with UK-based Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAes) and Cairns-based operator Torres Strait Air to convert up to 10 Britten-Norman Islander aircraft to hydrogen-electric propulsion for services between Horn Island and 20 short-haul destinations, many of them indigenous communities in the nation’s remote far north.

The airline, which had previously signed a letter of intent to acquire 10 new conventionally-powered Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, will source financing from MONTE to convert the planes zero emission propulsion. The lessor previously committed to acquire 40 conversion kits from CAeS to modify Islander aircraft.

Photo: Sydney Seaplanes Cessna Caravan in Dovetail livery

Tony Harrington

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After a four-year absence due to the global pandemic, the aerospace industry returned in force to the Paris Air Show, which was marked not just by 1,260-plus orders and options for new aircraft, but also by a flood of product, procurement and partnership deals focused on reducing the sector’s impact on the environment. The event was also thick with news of zero-emission aircraft and propulsion systems, technology breakthroughs promising higher efficiency and lower emissions, and research and development programmes to refine or explore paths to more sustainable aviation. An order by India’s largest airline, IndiGo, for 500 Airbus A320 and 321 neo jets to accommodate huge growth plans beyond 2030, reinforced forecasts that the global commercial fleet will double in size over the next 20 years.

Multiple commitments and technology advances were announced for the evolving electric aviation sector, most with certification and entry-into-service targets between 2025 and 2030. Miami-based AeroLease announced it had signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire 50 Eviation Alice electric commuter planes, while Netherlands-based start-up Maeve Aerospace unveiled a revised version of its proposed 44-seat Maeve 01 all-electric aircraft, to be powered with four 1.2 Mw electric motors. Maeve is aiming for certification in 2028 and entry into commercial service in 2030.

French start-up Aura Aero confirmed commitments and collaborations in Europe, the US and Africa for its ERA electric thrust aircraft, which will be offered in passenger and freight configurations. Maltese executive fleet operator Elit’ Avia and French regional carrier Pan Europeene signed LOIs for a combined 12 planes. Additionally, Utah-based freight airline Alpine Air Express signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist Aura Aero in gaining US certification for the ERA and Gabon-based AfriJet signed a MoU, which, while not specifying details, the airline’s CEO, Marc Gaffajoli, described as “for us, the most plausible and mature solution.”

Marseille-based airframer Daher, together with Airbus and Safran, exhibited for the first time their EcoPulse aircraft, a hybrid-electric distributed propulsion testbed, which will rely on a single independent electrical source to power multiple engines. Based on Daher’s TBM aircraft platform, the EcoPulse has six wing-mounted e-propellers provided by Safran, and two power sources – a Safran gas turbine and a battery pack supplied by Airbus. The demonstrator will begin flight testing later this year as part of a programme to define, develop and deliver a hybrid-powered plane to market by 2027.

Another French start-up, Beyond Aero, unveiled its four-passenger BYA-1 hydrogen-electric jet, while the Volt Aero Cassio 330, a 4-5 seat hybrid-electric aircraft, was also displayed ahead of its first flight in the coming weeks.

US-based electric powertrain developer MagniX said it would soon start converting a De Havilland Dash 7 aircraft into a zero-emission testbed, replacing two of its four Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A engines with new MagniX 650 electric motors, and a pair of 450kwH battery packs. Another electric propulsion developer, Wright Electric, announced that ground trials of its new aerospace motor-generator had delivered 1 Megawatt (1,300 horsepower) of energy, enabling it to be used as a turbogenerator or auxiliary power unit for high altitude commercial or defence applications.

Airbus announced a research and development partnership with Geneva-based STMicroelectronics to explore the development of lighter, more efficient power electronics required for future hybrid-powered aircraft and all-electric air taxis. They will focus on wide bandgap Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride semiconductor materials, which have better electrical properties than conventional conductors such as silicon.

Rolls–Royce revealed it was ready to test its first small gas turbine, developed as a turbogenerator system for novel propulsion aircraft including electric air taxis, and hybrid-electric commuter planes seating up to 19 passengers. Additionally, regional jet maker Embraer announced a joint venture with Japanese electric motor manufacturer NIDEC to develop propulsion systems for eVTOL aircraft, with Embraer’s air taxi division Eve Air Mobility the launch customer.

Hydrogen propulsion developer ZeroAvia announced multiple deals, the largest of them an agreement to deliver 250 hydrogen-electric ZA2000 engines for 40-80 seat turboprop conversions to California-based Flyshare, which will launch a new airline, Air Cahana, on the west coast. UK-based lessor Monte also firmed a previously-provisional order for 100 ZA 600 powertrains for 9-19 seat aircraft, while French lessor Green Aerolease signed an MoU to acquire an unspecified number of ZA 600 units.

ZeroAvia also revealed that in tests with MHIRJ, the type certificate holder for CRJ regional jets, “clear applications” had been identified to retrofit regional jet aircraft with hydrogen-electric propulsion systems. The initial aircraft suitable for conversion to ZeroAvia’s proposed ZA 2000RJ powertrain would be a CRJ 700 aircraft, though the technical study also validated conversions of other in-service CRJ-series jets, including the CRJ 500 and 990 models.

Another zero-emission start-up, Sydney-based Dovetail Electric Aviation, announced a partnership with HTWO, the hydrogen power division of Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, to test a hydrogen-electric powertrain for regional aircraft, with a view to commencing test flights as early as next year.

Deutsche Aircraft revealed the first metal was being cut for the prototype of its 40-seat D328eco regional airliner, a 100% SAF-compatible turboprop, which is scheduled for its first flight in 2025 and targeting entry into service by 2026, while at the opposite end of the scale US-based Jet Zero revealed its Z4 blended wing concept, targeted as a replacement for mid-market aircraft including the Boeing 767 and 787-8, with fuel burn savings of up to 50%.

The Airbus research arm UpNext announced a new test programme to investigate the replacement of a fossil-fuelled auxiliary power unit with a hydrogen fuel cell system to power non-propulsive aircraft functions including air conditioning, cabin lighting and avionics. An A330-200 jet will be retrofitted for the programme, taking to the air by late 2025.

Airbus also signed a MoU with US-based SAF producer LanzaJet to advance the construction of facilities to produce sustainable aviation fuel using LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology, while global energy company Sasol and Topsoe, a specialist in carbon reduction technologies, agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture to develop, build, own and operate new SAF plants, and market renewable fuels. E-fuel producer Twelve also used the Paris show to announce plans for SAF production from CO2 and renewable energy at a new plant to be built in the US state of Washington.

United Airlines Ventures revealed that another seven to eight partners would join its Sustainable Flight Fund within the next two months, and foreshadowed investment in new SAF offtake deals as producers built renewable fuel capacity.

On the eve of the Paris Air Show, seven chief technology officers from major aviation manufacturers released a statement committing to “supporting policies that increase the supply of SAF while ensuring a consistent and predictable demand through harmonised global measures.”

The CTOs of Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Safran added: “We are unified in the proposition that our industry has a prosperous and more sustainable future, and that we can make it happen through the near-term implementation of lasting industry-wide and globalised harmonised policies.”

Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Aura Aero display at the Paris Air Show

Hydrogen-powered aviation is gaining altitude in Australia with two new industrial collaborations formed to progress production and deployment of hydrogen-electric powertrains. The Hydrogen Flight Alliance (HFA), a nine-partner consortium in the state of Queensland, is targeting 2026 for the nation’s first hydrogen-electric commercial flight, a 70-minute journey from the state capital, Brisbane, to the regional industrial centre of Gladstone. The flight will be operated with a Beech 1900D commuter plane, converted to hydrogen power by start-up manufacturer Stralis Aircraft and operated by regional airline Skytrans, both members of the HFA. Additionally, Sydney-based Dovetail Electric Aviation has announced a partnership with Korea’s HTWO to test a hydrogen-electric powertrain for regional aircraft, with a view to commencing test flights as early as next year.

The Hydrogen Flight Alliance brings together industrial and academic partners to create a comprehensive ecosystem for hydrogen-powered aircraft. As well as Stralis Aircraft and Skytrans, its members are Brisbane and Gladstone airports, hydrogen production and distribution specialists BOC, Australia’s H2 Energy Company, specialist training organisation Aviation Australia, and the Griffith and Central Queensland universities. The 433-kilometre route between Brisbane and Gladstone has been chosen for the group’s inaugural flight as green hydrogen projects are already well-advanced in both locations.

The conversion by Stralis of a Beech 1900D, to be redesignated as a Stralis B1900D-HE, will be a key milestone not just for zero-emission flight in Australia, but also for the company’s own plans to develop an all-new 50-seat hydrogen-electric aircraft for entry into service by 2030. Stralis will begin flight tests in south-east Queensland early next year, using a six-seat Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft converted to hydrogen-electric power, before retrofitting a 1900D to the company’s Hydrogen Electric Propulsion System (HEPS) and liquid hydrogen storage tank.

The company plans to obtain supplemental type certificates from both Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the US Federal Aviation Administration for the 15-seat, 800-kilometre range, hydrogen-powered variant to be built in Brisbane. From this programme, Stralis will use data and customer feedback to develop its all-new aircraft, currently designated the SA-1, which is planned to have an operating range of 3,000 km with a maximum payload of 5,000 kilograms, while targeting a 65% reduction in engine maintenance costs compared to turbine-powered planes.

“The Hydrogen Flight Alliance allows us to answer the most common question we hear from airline customers, which is how they will access affordable green hydrogen at airports in future,” said Bob Criner, co-founder and CEO of Stralis Aircraft. “This is not a problem we can solve on our own. It requires industry collaboration.”

Cairns-based Skytrans operates a fleet of five De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 and five Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft on passenger and freight flights to regional destinations in the far north and south-east regions of Queensland, and to remote island communities in the Torres Strait. “We are proud to be leading the nation in developing its hydrogen industry,” said the airline’s CEO Alan Milne, “and we want to play a leading role in showing that this technology can work in aviation.”

Brisbane Airport, which is targeting net zero emissions by 2025, recently became the first in Australia to achieve a Level 4 Carbon Accreditation from industry body Airports Council International, which acknowledged the commitment of the country’s third-biggest air transport hub to decarbonise its own operations and work with industry partners to reduce theirs through initiatives including the purchase of renewable energy and self-generation through the installation of 18,000 solar panels.

“Brisbane Airport supports the ambition of a zero-emissions aviation future with aircraft that are cleaner, cheaper, and quieter to run,” said Raechel Paris, the airport’s EGM Governance and Sustainability. “With Queensland home to the largest number of regional flights in Australia, Brisbane is the perfect testing ground for zero emissions aircraft.”

Dr Emma Whittlesea, Executive Director of the Climate Ready Initiative at Griffith University, said together with Griffith Aviation and the Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research, the initiative strengthened the Hydrogen Flight Alliance with teaching, research and policy capability and expertise, while Steve Hall, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Central Queensland University, said future maintenance engineers, pilots and aviation industry managers would benefit from the university’s participation in the HFA.

Coinciding with formation of the new alliance, Euro-Australian company Dovetail Electric Aviation announced a propulsion partnership with HTWO, the hydrogen fuel cell division of Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, which is already developing or planning hydrogen powertrains for vehicles ranging from forklift units to cars, trucks, buses and trams, and for maritime use and general power generation.

Dovetail is a partnership between Australian tourist airline Sydney Seaplanes and Spanish aerospace company Dante Aeronautical to convert conventionally-powered turbine aircraft to zero emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric propulsion systems. It is targeting 2025 for certification of a battery-electric Cessna Caravan seaplane and 2026 approvals of hydrogen-electric Beech King Air and Cessna Caravan prototypes, before progressing to conversions of larger, longer-range aircraft including the De Havilland Twin Otter.

Up to 100 aircraft conversions per year are planned at facilities in Australia and Spain, and Dovetail has already secured preliminary orders from UK-based Monte Aircraft Leasing for up to 50 battery-electric and hydrogen-electric conversion kits for Caravan and King Air aircraft, and orders for 10 converted turbine aircraft from Korean short-haul operator Mint. 

David Doral, Dovetail’s CEO, said the combination of HTWO’s expertise in fuel cell development and Dovetail’s proprietary aviation technology would deliver “significant advancements” to the aerospace sector and enable Dovetail to mature its electric propulsion system with hydrogen technology. Under the agreement with Hyundai, Dovetail’s Iron Bird powertrain test rig in Australia will be fitted with an HTWO fuel cell system for initial tests, ahead of full-scale trials and a first flight potentially as early as next year.

Since late last year, Dovetail has attracted investments from the Australian regional airline Rex and Spanish carriers Volotea and Air Nostrum, and recently secured a AUD$3 million ($2m) grant from the Australian government to develop, flight test and certify electric aviation technology. In February, the company successfully tested a 250kw electric aviation motor.

“This opportunity will enable us to combine our expertise in aviation with HTWO’s expertise in fuel cell technology to develop innovative solutions for a sustainable future in aviation,” commented Doral. 

Image (Brisbane Airport): The Skytrans Stralis B1900D-HE