Insight – The electric aircraft bandwagon

Airlines are jumping on the electric-powered aircraft bandwagon. Deals are announced, it seems, every month. But none of the aircraft they have ordered have been tested, like the Eviation Alice, while another – the Heart Aerospace ES-30 – is not even built. Why the surge in interest? And why are North American airlines like United, Mesa, Cape Air, GlobalX, and Air Canada so interested?

The first reason is probably to be seen as doing the “right thing” – net zero and all that. Greenwashing is the fad these days. Anyone following this industry for any length knows the decisions being made are driven by cold, hard, economics. Behind the “right thing” is actually a lot of “smart things”.