In the rare early March sunshine at Norwich airport, a Pipistrel Velis Electro sits under a canopy being recharged by a power unit that is itself being replenished by solar energy via panels on the roof. The station is part of what Saxon Air chief executive Alex Durand describes as the company’s small but symbolically significant contribution to the industry’s decarbonisation efforts.
Saxon Air – a fixed-wing and helicopter management and charter operator that also runs the UK regional airport’s sole fixed-base operation (FBO) – fitted the charging port in October, shortly after leasing its first Electro to offer “sustainable flight training” as well as “experience flights” to youngsters considering a career in aviation.
The initiative is about more than creating a new revenue stream – in fact, Durand admits the flying school, which currently has 10 students, costs more money to run than it makes. Rather, it is about “showcasing electric aviation to a wider audience”, enthusing teenagers about the industry, and setting Saxon Air on the road to net-zero.
That includes making its two-hangar facility at the airport self-sufficient in energy by 2030, according to Durand, including by installing solar panels and other environmental measures. Operating its Electros – it has since added a second – will help “us work out what we need as an FBO when it comes to supporting sustainable forms of air transport”, he says. “We want to advance the cause of electric aviation.”
The charging port, which generates just over 18,000kW of energy a year, is one of two installed in the Norwich area by charging specialist RenEnergy. The other, at Old Buckenham, an airfield 18 miles (30km) away, allows students to fly between the locations and charge the aircraft while they wait – that typically takes an hour. It might not quite be the nationwide network of stations that the UK general aviation sector will need to leap headlong into electric flight, but it is a start.
The two-seat Velis Electro was approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in June 2020 as the world’s only certificated electric aircraft, two years before Textron Aviation acquired its Slovenian manufacturer. Intended for short training flights – battery endurance is less than 1h – under visual flight rules conditions, more than 100 are in use with flying schools and even the US Air Force, which has been evaluating two leased examples.
Saxon Air might not seem an obvious evangelist for electric aviation. Its base at Norwich is a hub for helicopter operators serving the oil platforms of the southern North Sea. Every year, 35,000 workers check in and pass security checks at its terminal. From its VIP lounge next door – and FBOs at other UK airports – business leaders and high-net-worth individuals board rotorcraft and private jets bound for meetings in Zurich, golf courses in Marbella, and second homes in Tuscany.
As one of the UK’s prominent aircraft management and charter specialists, Saxon Air – owned by the Klyne family – runs a fleet of 11 Textron Aviation Cessna Citations, Bombardier Learjets, and Embraer Phenom 300s, as well as seven Leonardo helicopters under separate air operator certificates. It has the exclusive contract to handle all non-scheduled flights at Norwich. One of its two hangars is leased to an offshore operator for maintenance.
However, Durand insists it is successful aviation companies such as the one he manages that must lead the way when it comes to sustainability. He admits it is not always easy. Aside from the infrastructure challenges of not having enough charging stations, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, for instance, does not approve ab initio training on an electric aircraft, so Saxon Air’s students must complete much of the private pilot licence syllabus on a conventionally powered type.
However, he believes Saxon Air’s efforts will help engage environmentally minded and technologically curious youngsters with an industry that “they only hear negative things about on the news”. Aside from offering the experience flights, Saxon Air works with other companies in the area to run “Saturday STEM clubs”, giving boys and girls, often from socially deprived parts of Norwich, a chance to take part in activities from flying a drone to marshalling an aircraft.
“We want to make it as relatable as possible to show them and their parents that anyone can work in aviation,” says Durand. The largely rural county of Norfolk is home to high-tech employers from Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance, Lotus Cars, and Mirus Aircraft Seating to dozens of digital start-ups. “There is a huge skills shortage across this region,” he says. “Helping youngsters find their right career is an obligation of our social licence in the community.”
