SAS plans to start flying electric planes in Sweden in 2028. That's what the company's CEO, Anko van der Werff, says in a TV show.
In five years, it will be possible to fly electrically powered aircraft on certain shorter routes in Sweden, for example between Stockholm and Visby. At least that's what national airline SAS is planning.
"It should be up and running in 2028. I mean, sort of, tomorrow. There will be smaller 30-seater planes with a range of up to 400 kilometers ”, says SAS CEO Anko van der Werff.
SAS is working with Gothenburg-based Heart Aerospace to produce electric model aircraft. Initially, smaller aircraft will begin flying commercially, but over time they can be expanded to carry more passengers.
"The aviation industry did not exist 100 years ago, and today we are talking about thousands of planes and billions of passengers transported by air, so anything is possible. So obviously we have to start with smaller aircraft and we're looking forward to that. We are talking about 30-seat planes, but the design would allow it to be expanded to 50 seats", says the CEO.
The ES-30 aircraft will be certified by 2028. It will have a range of between 200 and 400 kilometers. A backup hybrid system will be installed to provide the backup power requirement without disrupting battery autonomy and can also be used during cruise on longer flights to supplement the electrical power provided by the batteries. This gives the ES-30 an extended range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers and the flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers, plus the necessary spares.