Danish airport launches electric flights on domestic route

The route is being serviced by an ALIA CTOL electric aircraft from Beta Technologies. Fully laden, the aircraft can handle a range of up to 622 kilometres. For the 200-kilometre route between Sønderborg and Copenhagen, this is more than sufficient.

The all-electric flight to the capital is just the beginning and is intended to drive forward Sønderborg’s ‘Project Zero’, which was launched in 2007. The municipality in the south of Denmark has already reduced its CO2 emissions by 69 per cent since the initiative began and aims to become climate-neutral by 2029. Sønderborg has been recognised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) as the global capital of energy efficiency for its progress in decarbonisation.

The city has been supported in the project by Danfoss from the outset. The technology group based in the region specialises in products for the energy and air conditioning industry and sees great potential for electric aviation.

Beta Technologies is an aviation company based in the US that specialises in the manufacture of purely electrically powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft. A small ALIA CTOL aircraft was used for the demonstration flight – the model is available in CTOL (Conventional Takeoff and Landing) and VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) variants. It is primarily used around cities and in regional areas and, according to the manufacturer, has a maximum range of around 622 kilometres.

“In our estimation, we will have the battery technology for larger commercial electric aircraft within the next ten years,” said Jürgen Mads Clausen, Chairman Emeritus of Danfoss and co-initiator of ProjectZero, adding: “The transition to electric flight depends on further breakthroughs, especially in batteries and lightweight materials. I don’t see this as a one-off breakthrough, but as the beginning of a new era. But just as with electric cars, it’s important to be ready once the development gets going. Once the technology has matured, it will happen very quickly.”

presseportal.de (in German)