Norway wants all short-haul flights less than 90 minutes long to be entirely ELECTRIC by 2040

  • The plan has been announced by Avinor, the operator of all Norwegian airports 
  • It would cover all flights within Norway and to other Scandinavian countries 
  • Avinor plans to test a commercial route on an electric plane starting in 2025 
  • It believes electric air travel will reduce noise and aircraft operating costs

By Jennifer Newton for MailOnline and Afp

Published: | Updated:

All of Norway's short-haul flights should be entirely electric by 2040, the country's airport operator has announced.

Avinor, the public operator of Norwegian airports, wants to be the first in the world to make the switch to electric air transport, its chief executive said.

If the rule is enforced, it would cover all domestic flights under 90 minutes in Norway and those to neighbouring Scandinavian countries.

An aircraft waits at one of the gates at Oslo airport in Norway. By 2040, the country wants all short-haul flights to be carried out on electric planes 

An aircraft waits at one of the gates at Oslo airport in Norway. By 2040, the country wants all short-haul flights to be carried out on electric planes 

Avinor plans to launch a tender offer to test a commercial route flown with a small electric plane with 19 seats, starting in 2025.

Norway, the largest oil and gas producer in Western Europe, is paradoxically a leader in the field of electric transport.

It has more electric cars on the road in terms of market share than any other country in the world - electric and hybrid vehicles represented more than half of new car registrations in 2017 - and also has several projects underway for electric vessels.

Now the aviation industry wants to follow suit to cement the country's role as an electric transport pioneer. 

Dag Falk Petersen, the chief executive of Avinor, told AFP: 'We think that all flights lasting up to 1.5 hours can be flown by aircraft that are entirely electric.

'When we will have reached our goal, air travel will no longer be a problem for the climate, it will be a solution.'

Electric air travel will also at least halve noise levels and the operating cost of aircraft, Mr Falk-Petersen added.

Airlines such as Norwegian will be affected by Norway's plan to make all short-haul flights from the country electric by 2040

Airlines such as Norwegian will be affected by Norway's plan to make all short-haul flights from the country electric by 2040

But before reaching that point, Avinor said it would need to use intermediary technologies, such as biofuels and hybrid fuel-electric solutions. Boeing and Airbus are currently exploring the viability of electric aircraft.

After abandoning a project for 100 per cent electric planes last year, Airbus decided to refocus its efforts on developing a hybrid model, inking a partnership with British engine maker Rolls-Royce and German industrial group Siemens. The first flight is planned for 2020.

Zunum Aero, a start-up partly financed by US aeronautics group Boeing, meanwhile plans to bring a hybrid plane to the market by 2022.

According to official statistics, air transport accounts for 2.4 per cent of Norwegian greenhouse gas emissions for domestic traffic, and more than double that when international routes are included.

 

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