Community leaders from the Lofoten islands in Norway’s Arctic region are making plans to use new electric aircraft. Under a letter of intent signed on December 18, Lofoten Green Islands and Elfly Group have agreed to jointly develop sustainable regional air transport services that could use the Norwegian start-up’s in-development Noemi seaplane.
The Lofoten archipelago is situated off the far northwest coast of Norway and has a population of almost 25,000. The agreement was reached with multiple parties involved in the public-private partnership, including local power distribution company Lotokraft, Destination Lofoten, and the Lofoten Council on behalf of six municipalities including Røst, Værøy, Moskenes, Flakstad, Vestvågøy, and Vågan. Lotokraft has indicated a willingness to develop charging infrastructure for the aircraft.
In August, the Norwegian government approved an $8 million grant to support Elfly’s plans to develop the all-electric seaplane, which will have between 6 and 13 seats. With a range of up to around 200 kilometers (125 miles), mainland cities such as Tromsø, Narvik, and Bodø could be part of the flight network around Lofoten, providing new connections for local businesses such as those involved in fishing and tourism.
Bergen-based Elfly plans to certify the aircraft under EASA’s CS23 Level 4 rules to give it scope to scale up the design to carry as many as 19 passengers. It also intends to offer cargo (carrying up to four one-ton standard pallets) and emergency medical support versions. The design features large windows and an access door to facility boarding by passengers in wheelchairs or for loading freight.
According to Elfly, it will be ready to fly a prototype of the Noemi in 2025. The company intends to be the launch operator for the aircraft and will apply for an air operator certificate to begin services along the west coast of Norway with an initial fleet of 15 seaplanes flying between fjords.
The Lofoten Green Islands sustainability project was launched back in February 2022, with community leaders eager to be early adopters of the United Nations climate change goals. “Lofoten is a spectacular but demanding geographic area, where ground transport takes a long time,” said Vidar Thom Benjaminsen, mayor of Vågan and head of the Lofoten Regional Council. “An electric aircraft capable of landing on water is a safe and good way, affordably priced, will be very good. We can travel from Svolvær to Reine in less than half an hour and make better connections to larger regional centers.”
Research Paper Shows Norwegian Support For Electric Flights
This month, a group of academics from Norway’s Institute for Transport Economics published a research paper examining consumer attitudes towards flying in electric aircraft. Entitled Will people prefer future travel with battery-powered airplanes and published in the Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment journal, the paper reported that the majority from a sample group traveling between the Norwegian cities of Bergen and Stavanger expressed a willingness to consider switching from fossil-fuel-powered aircraft to electric models.
Some respondents said they would be willing to pay a premium to make zero-emissions flights, but a larger group was reluctant to accept higher fares and indicated that some discount would have to be available. The researchers found variations in attitudes between different age groups and based on each respondent’s comfort level with new technology. The report was co-authored by Knut Veisten, along with colleagues Paal Brevik Wangsness, Eivind Farstad, and Inga Margrete Ydersbond.
