Roei Ganzarski, the former Boeing manager who went on to give a boost to all-electric aviation, is leaving his executive posts at Everett, Wash.-based MagniX and at Eviation Aircraft, an electric-airplane manufacturer with offices in Arlington, Wash.
Ganzarski was the CEO of MagniX, which focuses on building electric propulsion systems for aircraft. He was the executive chairman of Eviation, which is getting ready for test flights of its all-electric Alice airplane.
Both ventures are owned by the Singapore-based Clermont Group, and Eviation’s Alice aircraft is designed to use MagniX’s propulsion system.
Ganzarski announced his double departure “with a heavy heart” last week, in a LinkedIn post that laid out a list of the companies’ recent achievements — including development deals with B.C.-based Harbour Air and other companies as well as a $74.3 million NASA contract to develop an electric demonstrator aircraft.
“I have no doubt that the future of aviation is electric,” he wrote. “It has to be for the sake of our children and grandchildren. It is no longer a question of if, but only when and who. I leave MagniX and Eviation positioned to continue their leadership in this field.”
Although Ganzarski didn’t mention a departure date, the two companies’ websites no longer list him as an executive.
In an emailed statement, Eviation acknowledged Ganzarski’s departure and said Dominique Spragg would take his place as executive chairman.
Spragg became the Clermont Group’s chief of aerospace strategy and business architect in 2020. He’s also MagniX’s executive chairman and has served as a board member for Eviation. His LinkedIn page suggests that he’s based in Sidney, B.C.
“Spragg is a key architect of Eviation’s growth strategy and operations, and brings to the executive chairman role extensive aerospace and international business development experience,” Eviation said.
Last July, Ganzarski said that the first production model of Eviation’s nine-passenger, battery-powered Alice aircraft was being assembled and would take on its first test flight by the end of 2021. And in August, Eviation reported that DHL Express had ordered a dozen Alice eCargo planes for delivery in 2024.
The company’s plans have shifted since summer, however. Alice hasn’t yet taken to the air, although a runway taxi test was conducted last month. Also in December, Eviation laid out its plans for an executive cabin version of the plane, capable of carrying six passengers, and said that deliveries would begin in 2026.
In the statement emailed today, Eviation said Alice would eventually “power regional flights in three formats: cargo, commuter and executive.” Fittingly, the YouTube video of Alice’s taxi test ends with the words “More to Come.”
Update for 11 a.m. PT Feb. 2: Michele D’Ercole, MagniX’s chief operating officer, is now serving as that company’s acting CEO.
