UK airline Loganair and BETA have flown the ALIA CTOL electric aircraft on a Glasgow to Dundee route, launching a series of real-world electric flight demonstrations across Scotland. “The demonstration series will be used to inform how Royal Mail could use electric aircraft as part of their essential daily mail flights to deliver to remote Scottish communities,” said the airline in a press release. The demonstration flights cover routes across Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Wick and Orkney.
Royal Mail, Loganair and BETA Technologies have launched the UK’s first real-world electric flight demonstrations across Royal Mail’s essential Scottish mail flight routes.
The first of a series of demonstration flights across Scotland’s regional airport network took place today between Glasgow and Dundee, with further flights planned between Aberdeen, Inverness, Wick and Orkney. The flights will carry representative letters and parcels, replicating the daily mail flights Loganair operates so Royal Mail can deliver to Orkney and the wider Scottish Highlands and Islands.
Luke Farajallah, CEO at Loganair, said: This is a landmark day for European aviation, and in-particular for Scotland’s airline Loganair. We are not talking about concepts, prototypes, or distant ambition, 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.
Chris Paxton, Strategic Insight and Innovation Manager at Royal Mail, said: “This is an important step towards making electric mail flights a reality for some of the UK’s most remote communities. By working with Loganair and BETA Technologies, we’re proud to be the first UK delivery company to test an electric aircraft, supporting our journey to Net-Zero by 2040 while continuing to serve all 32 million addresses across the UK.”
Simon Newitt, Head of Sales and Support at BETA Technologies, said: “Scotland’s geography makes it one of the most compelling environments for electric aviation anywhere in the world — short routes, existing infrastructure, and communities that have depended on reliable air connections for generations. Flying real postal routes alongside an operator with Loganair’s experience is exactly how you validate this technology. We’re proud to be working with partners like Loganair and Royal Mail, who recognise that keeping these communities connected and doing it sustainably are not competing priorities.”
For more information
https://www.loganair.co.uk/news/uks-first-electric-flight-demonstrations-launch-today-as-loganair-and-beta-technologies-fly-royal-mail-postal-routes/
(Image: Loganair Facebook page)