US aerospace firm Beta Technologies is to test its Alia CX300 electric aircraft in the Norwegian airspace zone set up as an area for zero- and low-emission trials.
Beta became the first developer to sign formally for test flights through an agreement at Bergen on 4 March, under a partnership with Norwegian airports operator Avinor, the Norwegian civil aviation authority and operator Bristow Norge.
The Alia aircraft will be flown between Stavanger Sola and Bergen airports under the trial programme which commences in the third quarter.
“We see great value in demonstrations in real-world settings, both to understand performance and suitability for different missions, but also to involve local communities in what this technology can offer,” says Beta Technologies sales manager Patrick Buckles.
All the test flights will be cargo operations, without passengers, and flown by Bristow Norge.
“This regulatory sandbox evaluation project exemplifies our philosophy of crawling, walking and running for early adoption of new aviation technologies,” says Bristow Group executive vice-president and chief transformation officer Dave Stepanek.
The aircraft to be used, N214BT, is the second production-ready airframe, manufactured at Burlington in Vermont.
Beta has been carrying out validation flights with N214BT in the USA while its sister aircraft, N916LF, has been undertaking cross-country tests.
The Norwegian trials follow the decision last year between the country’s regulator and Avinor to establish an international test zone for low-emission aviation.
Avinor says the government has allocated NKr50 million ($4.5 million) to the scheme this year, part of a broader NKr1 billion investment in a national transport plan being implemented over the next decade.
Norwegian transport minister Jon-Ivar Nygard says the “significant” regional air transport market and decentralised airport network, as well as an electric and hydrogen propulsion industry, give the country a “good starting point” to adopt new technologies early.
“We want more knowledge about what the different technologies and aircraft require in terms of airport facilities and the necessary energy supply needs,” says Avinor executive vice-president for sustainability, concept and infrastructure development Karianne Helland Strand.
“We now have a procurement of fast chargers for electric aircraft for Bergen and Stavanger in the market to facilitate the first test flight.”
Avinor says a charger supplier will be selected and the system installed at Stavanger in June, with a mobile charger made available at Bergen by August, to facilitate the full route tests.
