UK regional airline Loganair has made history by completing the first electric flight in Scotland using BETA Technologies’ ALIA CTOL battery-powered aircraft on 19 March.
The next day, the airline flew a demonstration route with the aircraft from Glasgow to Dundee, marking the beginning of a two-week programme across Aberdeen, Inverness, Wick, and Orkney that will showcase the aircraft’s capabilities.
The expected use-case is for freight, mail, and medical supplies delivery, with this specific series of demonstrations curated for the Royal Mail, who deliver post to remote locations each day with Loganair. The organisations are aiming to prove that aircraft such as ALIA CTOL can be seamlessly integrated into the current infrastructure used by the Royal Mail across Scottish airports.
“For regional airlines, the route to net zero must be practical, affordable, and operationally viable,” said Luke Farajallah, CEO at Loganair. “Electric aircraft have the potential to transform short haul flying, protecting vital air links while significantly reducing carbon emissions. For Loganair, this reflects our practical approach to sustainability – testing credible solutions that can reduce emissions while protecting the essential regional connectivity our communities rely on. As the UK’s largest and leading regional airline, we are committed to playing an active role in the transition to lower-emission aviation.”
The initiatives come in the wake of the Royal Mail announcing the closure of half of its domestic flights in 2024 in order to align with the Net-Zero by 2040 strategy. Electric aircraft could be a solution to further reduce the remaining essential routes.
The ALIA CTOL is designed for regional cargo and passenger operations, taking 20-40 minutes to recharge with a range of 336 nautical miles and a payload capacity of up to 560 kilogrammes.
“Scotland’s geography makes it one of the most compelling environments for electric aviation anywhere in the world — short routes, existing infrastructure, and communities that have depended on reliable air connections for generations,” commented Simon Newitt, Head of Sales and Support at BETA Technologies. “Flying real postal routes alongside an operator with Loganair’s experience is exactly how you validate this technology. We’re proud to be working with partners like Loganair and Royal Mail, who recognise that keeping these communities connected and doing it sustainably are not competing priorities.”
This is an important step towards making electric mail flights a reality for some of the UK’s most remote communities,” added Chris Paxton, Strategic Insight and Innovation Manager at Royal Mail. “By working with Loganair and BETA Technologies, we’re proud to be the first UK delivery company to test an electric aircraft, supporting our journey to Net-Zero by 2040 while continuing to serve all 32 million addresses across the UK.”
Loganair is particularly interested in sustainable electric aviation, having previously signed an MoU with ZeroAvia, a hydrogen-electric engine developer, and formed a partnership with Heart Aerospace, the developer of the ES-30 hybrid-electric regional aircraft.
Photo: Loganair
