Stroud's Dale Vince launches the world's first Electric Airline
The Ecojet fleet will see conventional planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains.
Last updated 17th Jul 2023
Stroud based, green industrialist, Dale Vince is launching the world's first Electric Airline.
Ecojet will be powered by renewable energy, with the fleet comprising of conventional planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains. The aircraft is expected to perform to the same levels as before, but with a one-hundred percent reduction in CO2 and other emissions.
Dale Vince will partner with experienced pilot Brent Smith and a team of aviation specialists to get Ecojet up and running by 2024. The first routes will be to and from Edinburgh before expanding to mainland Europe and beyond.
Further steps to reduce the environmental impact of the aviation industry will be taken on board, including; plant-based meals, eliminating single-use plastic and issuing staff with sustainable uniforms.
In the short term, Ecojet will need to secure a license from the Civil Aviation Authority. To do this, the electric fleet will need to initially fly using conventionally fuelled planes.
Dale Vince says, “The question of how to create sustainable air travel has plagued the green movement for decades, Ecojet is by far the most significant step towards a solution to date.
"The desire to travel is deeply etched into the human spirit, and flights free of C02 emissions, powered by renewable energy will allow us to explore our incredible world without harming it for the first time.”
Ecojet will begin with two different sizes of turboprop aircraft (a 19-seat aircraft and a 70-seat aircraft), and then they will proceed to retrofit them once they have secured approval from the Civil Aviation Authority.