John Slattery
LE BOURGET—Regional electric aircraft manufacturer Heart Aerospace has announced John Slattery as Non-Executive Chairman at the Paris Air Show. Slattery, 54, will remain Chief Commercial Officer of GE Aerospace.
One of the most well-connected figures in the industry, Slattery held various senior roles in the leasing industry before joining Embraer Commercial Aviation’s sales organization and heading the company as CEO for five years. Slattery left Embraer in 2020 to join what was then GE Aviation as CEO. When the company started its transition to an aerospace-focused company, Larry Culp took on that role in addition to his position as CEO of GE, but Slattery stayed on.
Gothenburg, Sweden-based Heart is developing the 30-seat ES-30. The aircraft is supposed to enter service in 2028. Heart claims it will have a full electric range of 200 km (124 mi.) but that its hybrid propulsion system will allow a range of up to 800 km with 25 passengers.
Slattery’s involvement could help Heart gain further market credibility and secure further orders as well as financing as the manufacturer continues toward certification. That GE Aerospace allows one of its most senior executives to become Chairman of a start-up aircraft OEM is unusual. However, it also helps promote the notion that GE is a driving force behind driving the decarbonization of the aerospace industry. The company and its partner in the CFM International joint venture, Safran, have launched the Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines (RISE) technology program aiming at bringing an open rotor engine to market by 2035. Slattery announced the start of the RISE program together with Safran CEO Olivier Andriès in June 2021.
The company was founded by Anders Forslund in 2018. As a space engineer with a Masters degree in astronautics, among others, Forslund has been involved in aerospace and space research in his previous career and is regarded as the technical mastermind behind Heart. The company has attracted investments from Air Canada, Mesa Air Group, Saab and United Airlines Ventures, among others. It has firm orders for 250 aircraft.
“The segment targeted by Heart Aerospace is ripe for disruption,” Slattery said. “It will not only help with decarbonization of commercial aviation but will also democratize travel bringing commercial flight back to communities long since not served or indeed airports that are losing service today. The value proposition of the ES-30 regional hybrid electric airplane brings a classic ‘blue-ocean’ strategy to the market where everyone will benefit—including the environment.”
Slattery “is one of the defining industry leaders of the modern era, and he has a relentless drive towards decarbonizing air travel,” Forslund said. "As Heart grows as a company, John is a perfect fit for us.”
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