Airline Regional Express has secured a 20 per cent stake in electric aviation start-up Dovetail as part of its enduring push to convert its turboprop fleet to zero-emission propulsion.

Rex, which operates regional services and a limited interstate schedule, had announced a “strategic partnership” with Dovetail in July last year. The deal prescribed that Rex would provide Dovetail with an aircraft and other support facilities to test its technology, with the shareholding announced on Friday in effect a quid pro quo, a source familiar with the transaction said.