The regional aviation sector could be transformed if plans for the world’s first electric passenger plane go ahead.
Faradair wants to revolutionise commercial electrified aviation with its idea of a hybrid-electric passenger plane, which would have 19 seats and work by an electric motor-driven fan, Yahoo! reported.
Neil Cloughley, chief executive of Faradair, asked: “Why do we not use aeroplanes like we would a bus?”
He noted that cost, noise pollution, and environmental considerations are the major obstacles preventing people taking to the skies more frequently.
“So, we decided we would come up with an aircraft that would not only be economic to use, and therefore cost-effective, but would also be quiet and sustainable,” Mr Cloughley added.
The plane, which would be powered by a small gas turbine, would have a triple level wing. As it would be engineered to have fewer moving parts than a standard commercial aeroplane, it would not be as expensive to run, as well as being less polluting and quieter.
If this technology goes ahead, it will enable people to travel between British cities, such as Manchester and London, for just £25 each way. Faradair hopes to get the aircraft off the ground by 2025, with commercial flights starting just two years later.
Denmark and Sweden intend to make all their domestic flights fossil-free by the turn of the next decade, aided by electric aircraft such as this.
Indeed, last year United Airlines revealed its plans to buy 100 zero-emission electric aeroplanes and anticipates them being used for short domestic flights in 2026, AFAR reported.
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