If all goes according to plan, Skellefteå could make history in terms of electrified aviation. For example, some of the first flights in Europe could be carried out here with a nine-seater passenger plane powered by hydrogen, and we will also inaugurate one of Europe's largest drone airports. The team at the ELIS program with Henrik Littorin, Magnus Wiklund and Annelie Viksten tells more about the continued plans for electric aviation in Skellefteå.
The development program around electrified aviation in Skellefteå continues to develop in step with increased demands for sustainable transport solutions. Skellefteå has special and unique conditions to be a driving force in the development of electric aviation, drones and mobility, as all the components are in place, such as driving actors, research, active business and a positive municipal leadership. All this together with our cold harsh climate, green electricity and growing need for sustainable transport means that we can take a leading position and be an important player in driving development forward. The fact that the world's most sustainable pilot training is available in Skellefteå in the form of the Green Flight Academy is a very important component. This means that Skellefteå Airport is one of the airports in the world that has the most flights with electric aircraft which also have access to 1MW of electricity supply for charging.
The ELIS program is an important part of this work and the development program for electrified aviation continues to develop every year. The focus of the work is on developing the testbed for battery and hydrogen-powered aircraft at the airport, building and operating the drone airport being built at Hammarängen, and developing projects that lead to faster commercial implementation of electric aircraft and drones in
Skellefteå and other places.
The work to establish a system demonstrator for hydrogen-powered aviation in Skellefteå continues. The project will demonstrate the entire value chain in real conditions. From the production of green hydrogen, transport to the airport, handling of the hydrogen in an airport environment, refueling in aircraft and flights to and from Skellefteå with a nine-seater aircraft. The applications for funding that will be required to implement the demonstrator are currently being planned. If the schedule holds, the first test flights could be made at the end of 2026 and in that case be among the very first in Europe. The goal is then to be able to implement hydrogen-powered regional aviation to and from Skellefteå as soon as possible. Battery-electric aviation is also being developed and research projects are underway here with Luleå University of Technology, Uppsala University and commercial players.
After the summer, one of Europe's largest drone airports will be completed in Skellefteå. It will be a unique environment for testing, developing and commercializing drones and related technology. The drone airport will also be able to handle vertical take-off vehicles for passenger transport, so-called eVTOL.
The drone airport is unique in that it is part of the urban environment and will also be able to function as a node for commercial and socially beneficial drone operations as soon as airspace regulations allow. This winter, drone flights will be carried out at the drone airport within the framework of a Vinnova project. During the summer, Skellefteå Municipality will connect its own drones to Telia's 5G network and advanced software to plan and carry out drone flights related to property maintenance. The hope is that the drone airport will contribute to a faster commercialization of socially beneficial drone services both locally, nationally and internationally.
According to the press release.
