A BETA Technologies electric airplane is now carrying the mail to remote communities in Scotland as part of a demonstration of the capabilities of the aircraft. The plane is not an eVTOL. It takes off and lands conventionally and uses existing airports. The first flight was last Thursday from Glasgow to Dundee, and future flights are planned for Inverness, Wick, Aberdeen, and Orkney. The tests are being done by Loganair, which has the Royal Mail contract for that area and has been serving those communities with passenger and mail service for about 60 years. “This is a real tangible programme of flying across our network which will provide invaluable data on how an electric aircraft could perform in a real commercial environment,” Loganair CEO Luke Farajallah told Airliners Live.
The plane can carry about 1,200 pounds and has a range of 350 miles. It can fully recharge in 20 to 40 minutes and suits Loganair’s short and frequent flights. The Royal Mail has pledged to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2040, so it’s hopeful the trial works out. “By working with Loganair and BETA Technologies, we are proud to be the first U.K. delivery company to test an electric aircraft,” said Royal Mail spokesman Chris Paxton.
That’s great news and an impressive system that hopefully will yield valuable dividends. There are likely many short-haul applications of that sort that could be applied to the American market and cut back on needless emissions. Please continue to follow.
Very cool! As said in the story, this should provide some excellent real world data about electric flight in the commercial environment.
The only way to discover if electric flight is viable and what roles it can fill is to test it in the real world. Hauling mail is a good start since it will not involve passengers on a tight schedule.