Inter-island travel future is electric

As an island community, Guernsey is heavily dependent on its air links to stay connected. So the chance to be at the forefront of the move towards electric plane travel is an opportunity worth embracing.

The short distances of inter-island travel make the Bailiwick an attractive proposition as the technology moves forward.

That Britten-Norman’s Islander aircraft, once so familiar to these shores, is the chosen aircraft for a major project to develop a hybrid-electric propulsion system which has won UK government backing seems like an omen. Plans are to launch by 2022.

In Canada, the operator of a sea-plane service which inspired a Channel Island company to launch will next week test the world’s first all-electric commercial aircraft.

Harbour Air announced the transition to electric aircraft last spring, which will see aircraft refitted with 750-horsepower all-electric Magni500 propulsion systems.

The test flight will be 10 minutes, but it hopes to have electric sea planes in use in about two years’ time.

In July, the Paris Airshow saw Israeli firm Eviation launched the prototype of a plane called Alice, which will carry nine passengers for up to 650 miles. It is expected to enter service in 2022.

The technological leap has attracted interest locally by those looking at serving the Alderney and Jersey routes with Islanders.

This will all come around too late in the day for the delayed public service obligation process, but supporters of electric think there is a firm business case given running costs that could be a fraction of what is spent on conventional aviation fuel.

Some governments are acting too, for example Norway, where a lot of flights last only 15 to 30 minutes, and Sweden is aiming to make all short-haul flights in its airspace electric by 2040.

There are environmental implications with electric travel, it is not a panacea. But the case is getting stronger for an electric future.