\n JSX Orders Up To 100 Heart ES-36 Aircraft | Image by Heart Aerospace\/09\/23\/26 press release <\/p>\n
Dallas-based air carrier JSX has signed a deposit-backed agreement to purchase 50 newly unveiled hybrid-electric ES-36 aircraft from Heart Aerospace, with purchase rights for 50 more, as the company looks to expand service from smaller airports while lowering operating costs.<\/p>\n
Heart Aerospace announced<\/a> the agreement Wednesday as it unveiled the 36-seat ES-36, its new production aircraft.<\/p>\n The deal converts JSX\u2019s 2023 letter of intent for Heart\u2019s earlier ES-30 design into a deposit-backed purchase commitment and secures JSX early delivery positions. Heart Aerospace said it is targeting the aircraft\u2019s first flight in the second half of 2028 and entry into service in 2031, following FAA Part 25 certification.<\/p>\n The order advances JSX\u2019s broader effort to build a next-generation regional fleet centered on smaller airports and shorter nonstop routes.<\/p>\n As previously reported by The Dallas Express, JSX announced<\/a> in 2024 that it intended to acquire as many as 332 hybrid-electric aircraft from three manufacturers, including up to 100 Heart Aerospace ES-30s. The new agreement replaces that portion of the plan with Heart\u2019s redesigned ES-36.<\/p>\n ES-36 Replaces Heart\u2019s Earlier Design<\/p>\n The ES-36 is a substantial redesign of Heart Aerospace\u2019s previously planned ES-30.<\/p>\n The new aircraft carries 36 passengers instead of 30 and adds 1,415 pounds of payload capacity, increasing<\/a> both seating and payload by 20% while retaining the same maximum takeoff weight and battery capacity, according to Heart Aerospace.<\/p>\n The design also reduces the aircraft from four nacelles and propellers to two.<\/p>\n Each of the two series-hybrid powertrains uses a 1.65-megawatt electric motor to drive a propeller. Ground-charged batteries are designed to provide an all-electric range of 125 miles, plus reserves. For longer flights, gas-turbine-powered generators can produce electricity in flight, extending the aircraft\u2019s projected hybrid range to 745 miles, plus reserves.<\/p>\n Heart says it is targeting operating costs at least 40% lower than legacy regional aircraft. That figure remains a company projection and will depend on certification, real-world operations, maintenance costs, energy prices, and other factors once the aircraft enters service.<\/p>\n JSX Says Smaller Airports Are Part Of The Plan<\/p>\n JSX CEO Alex Wilcox said the aircraft could help the carrier add more nonstop service from smaller airports.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hybrid-electric ES-36 will enable more nonstop routes from more convenient airports while further elevating the award-winning, no-middle-seat onboard experience that JSX Customers love,\u201d Wilcox said<\/a> in the announcement.<\/p>\n JSX currently serves 29 airports across the United States and Mexico with 56 Embraer ERJ-family aircraft and four ATR 42-600 turboprops, according to Heart Aerospace\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n That fleet description is also consistent with current aviation-industry reporting. Aviation Week reported Wednesday that JSX operates<\/a> Embraer ERJ regional jets and ATR 42 turboprops.<\/p>\n The carrier\u2019s ATR 42-600 operation is relatively new. JSX introduced<\/a> its first ATR 42-600 into service in January.<\/p>\n Designed For Constrained Regional Airports<\/p>\n Heart says the ES-36\u2019s smaller physical footprint is intended to make it more practical at regional airports with limited ramp, gate, and hangar space.<\/p>\n The aircraft has a 95-foot wingspan, about 11 feet shorter than the ES-30 design. Heart specifically identified airports including Santa Monica, Westchester County, Naples, and Napa Valley as examples of the type of markets the aircraft could serve.<\/p>\n The companies also plan to work together on cabin configuration, charging procedures, turnaround times, route planning, and airport readiness before the aircraft enters service.<\/p>\n Heart says the aircraft\u2019s all-electric mode would produce no fuel burn during those short flights and reduce noise compared with conventional regional aircraft. Those benefits remain design goals until the production aircraft completes testing and certification.<\/p>\n Dallas Carrier Has Been Betting On Hybrid Electric Flight<\/p>\n The ES-36 agreement builds on JSX\u2019s existing push toward hybrid-electric aviation.<\/p>\n In late 2023, JSX announced letters of intent covering aircraft from Heart Aerospace, Electra, and Aura Aero. That earlier plan included up to 100 Heart ES-30 aircraft, along with as many as 82 Electra aircraft and up to 150 Aura Aero aircraft.<\/p>\n The Dallas Express previously\u00a0reported<\/a> that JSX expected the new generation of aircraft to make service to smaller communities more economically viable.<\/p>\n The Heart portion of that strategy has now moved beyond a letter of intent.<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s agreement is deposit-backed and gives JSX early delivery positions for 50 ES-36 aircraft, with purchase rights for another 50.<\/p>\n Heart Has Already Flown A Full Scale Electric Demonstrator<\/p>\n The ES-36 itself has not yet flown, but Heart Aerospace completed the first flight of its full-scale X1 battery-electric demonstrator in August.<\/p>\n