Widerøe (WF, Bodø) is set to become the world's first commercial operator of a wholly electrically-powered commuter aircraft as it aims to take delivery of its first TECNAM P-Volt by 2026.
The Norwegian regional specialist said it had signed an agreement with Italian aircraft manufacturer Costruzioni Aeronautiche TECNAM and Rolls-Royce to jointly work on the commercial deployment of the aircraft. TECNAM will be tasked with designing the turboprop, largely based on its most recent Tecnam P2012 model, while Rolls-Royce will supply the electric engine. Widerøe will then manage the operational readiness and certification aspects.
The companies did not disclose the total number of aircraft Widerøe was planning to add.
The P-Volt will seat up to 11 passengers and will thus become Widerøe's smallest aircraft type. The Norwegian carrier currently operates twenty Dash 8-100s, three DHC-8-Q100s, three DHC-8-Q200s, one Dash 8-300, five DHC-8-Q300s, ten DHC-8-Q400s, and three E190-E2s.
Chief Strategy Officer Andreas Kollbye Aks told Norwegian online newspaper E24 that the task ahead was far more complicated than the recent introduction of Widerøe's first jet aircraft, the Embraer E2s.
"We are highly excited to be offered the role as launch operator but also humble about the challenges of putting the world’s first zero-emissions aircraft into service," Aks said.
The airline underlined that its network was particularly well-suited to the deployment of electric aircraft. Widerøe operates an extensive network of regional flights between second- and third-tier cities in Norway, with 75% of its routes being shorter than 275 kilometres. Its shortest scheduled flights last less than 15 minutes, well within the realistic range of an all-electric aircraft. While many of these routes are also extremely thin and do not need large capacity, they are often the vital link for local communities and require relatively high-frequency flights.
"Developing all-electric aircraft will enable people to be connected in a sustainable way and will fulfil Widerøe’s ambition to make its first all-electric flight by 2026. The all-electric P-Volt aircraft is ideal for the short take-off and landing as well as for routes in the North and the West Coast of Norway," the companies said in a statement.
Norway, which already leads the world in terms of road transport electrification with more than half of all new cars sold in the country in 2020 being electric, is hoping to phase-out all non-electric aircraft on domestic routes by 2040.
TECNAM has been working with Rolls-Royce since 2018 on hybrid propulsion for its smaller, four-seat P2010 aircraft.
