Building on the strategic partnership with Dovetail signed in 2022, Rex has gone ahead to take a 20% stake in the electric start-up as a step forward in converting turbine-powered aircraft to clean, emission-free electric propulsion.
As a part of the deal Rex will he deal prescribed that Rex would provide Dovetail with an aircraft and other support facilities to test its technology. Rex has also appointed its Board member, Robert Basch, to the Dovetail board alongside Dovetail’s major shareholder, Sydney Seaplanes owner Sydney Aviation Holdings, and co-founder David Doral.
Delighted to partner with Sydney Seaplanes and Dante Aeronautics, John Sharp, Deputy Chairman, Rex said: "Regional airlines operating short sectors, as well as seaplanes and training aircraft, will be the early adopters of electric battery propulsion. Australia, with its very high utilisation of regional aviation and a large number of aircraft capable of conversion, is a perfect incubator for the electric aviation industry."
As a part of 2022 agreement Rex is helping Dovetail to develop and certify the retrofitting of electric engines onto legacy aircraft used for regional and general aviation aircraft.
Rex operates a fleet of 61 Saab 340 turboprop aircraft, which it hopes to be able to retrofit with new battery-powered electric propulsion systems that Dovetail designs.
