FAIR (Finding Innovations to Accelerate Implementation of Electric Regional Aviation) is a Nordic collaborative project to support the early and efficient commercialization of electric regional aviation in the Kvarken-Nordland region. Electric aviation will be a real transport alternative in a close future. It will be particularly attractive in regional east-west connections, and especially competitive when bridging natural barriers such as seas or mountains.
– FAIR has compiled a unique knowledge on what opportunities electric regional aviation offers the Kvarken-Nordland region and what it takes to be an early actor in an international context, says Andreas Forsgren, FAIR project manager and head of department at Tyréns.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, says in their recent report that electric aviation is a credible alternative for the small passenger volumes in Finland. The report refers, among others, to work carried out in the FAIR project. Also, Timo Harakka, the Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications, recently wrote a newspaper column where he believes that electric aviation is a part of the future in Finland.
– FAIR has put our region on the map regarding the electrification of aviation and its importance for regional accessibility. We are now an actor that the outside world turns to with questions and cooperation initiatives in relation to this issue, and we have influenced how the issue is handled at a national level in the Nordics, says Mathias Lindström, director of the Kvarken Council EGTC.
– We have laid a good foundation to continue developing this region as a forerunner so that we become the first region to actively adopt regular electric flights, including cross-border ones, Lindström continues.
Electric aircraft designed for commercial passenger use are in the making and within a couple of years they will be ready for take-off. First-generation electric aircraft will carry only a few passengers and will be used primarily for local and regional air mobility.
– Electric aviation is developing fast thanks to major improvements in battery technology during recent decades. Regional electric aviation has the potential to radically increase accessibility in the Kvarken-Nordland region, says Forsgren.
Given the composition of the Nordic energy mix, the increased accessibility can be achieved in a climate-efficient manner. Lower operative costs due to electrification can make regional aviation economically competitive.
– In the entire Kvarken-Nordland region, the necessary infrastructure for electric flights needs to be expanded. Being an early adopter also provides an opportunity to create regional development linked to electric aviation. To succeed, the region’s actors should stimulate local business in developing new production and service offerings, says Forsgren.
The FAIR project has been ongoing for the last two years and now the final report has been launched in connection with the final conference. The aim of the report is to explain why electric aviation should capture our interest and describe how the region should proceed to enable electrified regional air travel. The final conference is arranged together with the Nordic Battery Belt Logistics project. Both projects are led by the Kvarken Council EGTC in cooperation with partners from Finland, Sweden, and Norway.
Read the whole final report HERE. The report contains accounts of what has been done in the project, with proposals for a list of measures and with links to more in-depth reports and other materials produced in the project.
FAIR is preparing the Kvarken-Nordland region for an early implementation of electric aviation. The project increases the knowledge base on electric aviation, investigates possibilities and surveys both needs and required technical investments.