Easyjet said that the move would enable battery-powered aircraft to travel short-haul routes such as London to Paris and or Edinburgh to Bristol.
Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s chief executive, said the aerospace industry would follow the lead of the automotive industry in developing electric engines that would cut emissions and noise.
“For the first time in my career I can envisage a future without jet fuel and we are excited to be part of it,” she said. “It is now more a matter of when, not if, a short-haul electric plane will fly.”
Wright Electric is working with several airlines around the world, and claims that electric planes will be 50% quieter and 10% cheaper for airlines to buy and operate, with the cost saving potentially passed on to passengers.
EasyJet said its goal is for every short flight to be electric within 20 years. It has already built a two-seater prototype and is working towards a fully electric plane within a decade and with the capacity to carry at least 120 passengers.
Peter Duffy, easyJet’s chief commercial officer, said the partnership would help Wright Electric understand what was required to make the planes commercially success, looking at factors such as maintenance and revenue management.
“You’re seeing cities and countries starting to talk about banning diesel combustion engines. That would have been unthinkable just a short time ago,” Duffy said. As technology moves on attitudes shift, ambitions change and you see opportunities you didn’t see. This is genuinely exciting.”
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