The Norwegian state-owned company Avinor and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority are partnering with Bristow Group and Electra for the project, according to major media reports. The Norwegian government has allocated 50 million kroner per year for the test arena, Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård said. Testing will start in 2027 at smaller airports in Northern Norway and expand to novel access points and a major Norwegian airport, with Værnes as a potential location.
The aircraft can carry nine passengers and has a range of 80 to 800 km. It can land on small grass fields or football fields, according to Karianne Helland Strand, Executive Director for Sustainability and Infrastructure at Avinor. "We have seen examples of it landing on small grass slopes. It was also mentioned football fields, so they now want to test this in local communities that do not have a runway," she said. Nygård noted that the project marks a new step in developing Norway's test arena for zero- and low-emission aviation. The exact timeline for commercial deployment and specific safety regulations remain to be determined.