Norway gives green light for electric demonstration flights
The flights will initially carry only cargo and no passengers and will start operations between the Stavanger and Bergen airports. The Stavanger route will kick off in late summer, while Bergen will follow in autumn. The aim is to gain insights, prepare the ecosystem and lay the foundation for scaling up. According to the initiators, this means involving “airlines, manufacturers, supplier industries, the energy sector, and other stakeholders.”
The demonstration flights will be done on an Alia CX300 conventional take-off and landing (eCTOL) electric aircraft, which is made by Beta Technologies. As the company writes, the aircraft is “BETA’s second production-intent vehicle, was manufactured at the company’s scaled production factory in Burlington, Vermont, USA and has already received airworthiness certification for VFR, IFR, day and night flying from the FAA.” Beta Technologies secured its airworthiness certification from the U.S. Air Force in April 2021.
In 2020, CAA Norway also issued an operatic license for the Chinese company Ehang to start testing its electric two-seater passenger drone Ehang 216. This means that this is not the first test of an electric aircraft in Norway, however, it certainly is the first electric conventional take-off and landing aircraft, which also is capable of carrying up to 5 passengers, according to Beta Technology’s website.
Karianne Helland Strand, Executive Vice President for Sustainability, Concept, and Infrastructure Development at Avinor, explained how the company will “Avinor’s role is to facilitate the infrastructure at airports and make the airspace available for actors who wish to test various zero- and low-emission aircraft in an operational environment. We seek more knowledge about what different technologies and aircraft require in terms of airport facilities and necessary energy supply needs.”
“The government’s goal in the National Aviation Strategy and the National Transport Plan 2025–2036 (NTP) is to accelerate the transition to zero- and low-emission aviation. To achieve this, one billion kroner has been allocated in the NTP. The first major initiative is the establishment of Norway as an international test arena for zero- and low-emission aircraft,” says Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård, adding: “With an aviation industry committed to reducing emissions, a decentralized network of airports of various sizes, a significant regional air transport market, a proactive aviation authority, and a supplier industry specializing in battery-electric propulsion systems and hydrogen technology, we have a strong foundation for the early adoption of new technologies.”
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