First All-Electric Commercial Flight Takes Off in Canada
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The world's first fully-electric commercial aircraft had a test flight on Tuesday in Vancouver, Canada. The short test flight was carried out by Harbour Air and magniX, involving a six-passenger aircraft and an electric motor.
Today, we made history. Launching the world’s first electric commercial aircraft retrofitted with a 750 horsepower all-electric magni500 propulsion system. Thank you to our amazing maintenance team and our partners at @MagniX for all your efforts! Together, we did it! 👏 #ePlane pic.twitter.com/Rhw35BRnqB
— Harbour Air Seaplanes (@HarbourAirLtd) December 10, 2019
Greg McDougall, CEO, and founder of Harbour Air, which is one of North America's largest seaplane airlines, said in a statement, "Today, we made history. I am incredibly proud of Harbour Air's leadership role in redefining safety and innovation in the aviation and seaplane industry. Canada has long held an iconic role in the history of aviation, and to be part of this incredible world-first milestone is something we can all be really proud of.
SEE ALSO: ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT IN EVERYDAY FLIGHTS EXPECTED TO BECOME A THING SOON
Harbour Air is aiming to fly passengers aboard on fully electric aircraft starting from 2021.
CEO of magniX Roei Ganzarski said, "In December 1903, the Wright Brothers launched a new era of transportation—the aviation age—with the first flight of a powered aircraft. Today, 116 years later, with the first flight of an all-electric powered commercial aircraft, we launched the electric era of aviation. The transportation industry and specifically the aviation segment that has been, for the most part, stagnant since the late 1930s, is ripe for a massive disruption. Now we are proving that low-cost, environmentally friendly, commercial electric air travel can be a reality in the very near future."
Watch LIVE as @HarbourAirLtd #ePlane takes flight, magnified by the magni500 electric propulsion system. Join our live stream for this historic event as the first all-electric commercial aircraft ushers in a new era of aviation. https://t.co/8lkydg9JX7
— magniX (@MagniX) December 10, 2019
You can watch the video of the flight below.