Bristol Helicopters, working with BETA Technologies, is aiming to soon serve communities in Scotland with electric planes. The firm has been working with Royal Mail and Loganair to test the ALIA aircraft, which is currently touring Scotland. Scotland is an ideal place to test the electric planes, and its geography makes it one of the most compelling environments for electric aviation anywhere in the world.
The aircraft has a usable range of around 100 miles. The planes can operate from existing runways, fully charge in 20-40 minutes, and carry a maximum of 560kg of letters and parcels at a time. Even before recent oil price hikes, the firm has been championing electricity as cheaper than burning fossil fuels.
Bristol Helicopters is reportedly aiming to have the new electric aircraft available within a couple of years. The plans for the new electric aircraft have been in place a long time and are not connected to the oil crisis. Royal Mail held the UK's first real-world fully electric demonstration this month.
Royal Mail hopes the new electric planes will prove instrumental in helping Scots in more isolated communities with less infrastructure. The world is facing an oil crisis. Airlines are facing a jet-fuel shortage with the last known shipment from the Middle East due to arrive in the UK this week.
The specific communities in Scotland being targeted for initial electric plane services have not been disclosed, and the exact timeline for making electric passenger flights available in the UK remains unclear. How the jet-fuel shortage will impact the rollout of electric aircraft plans is also unknown.