Stavanger Airport, Sola, has been chosen as a trial hub for the world’s first passenger-carrying electric aircraft.
The trial is meant to speed the transition to a zero-emission society, in addition to establishing the Stavanger region as an international test arena for zero and low-emission aeroplanes.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Norway and the airport owner, Avinor, are responsible for the initiative.
The world is changing and Sola municipality, as a strong business municipality and host municipality for the airport, is very satisfied with the efforts made on Avinor’s part, which now lead to future transport solutions being first tested in Sola and the Stavanger region, director of business and tourism in Sola municipality, Gry Isabel Sannes said.
Sola municipality, the host of the Stavanger Airport, has already been awarded the Norwegian municipality with the greatest economic conditions and business growth by the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.
The initiative reflects the region’s strong position as an industry and innovation hub in Norway and shows that we are working together to facilitate future value creation, added Sannes.
Stavanger Airport, Sola, has a history of sustainable initiatives. It was Scandinavia’s first airport to launch its honey. Beehives producing honey are placed along the runway, and the bees are a great method to monitor the air quality around the airport.
Other sustainable initiatives include installing nearly 2000 solar cells to run the airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Norway will collaborate with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to facilitate and learn from the trial.
The Stavanger Region European Office has previously written about the region’s initiative to become one of Europe’s Regional Innovation Valleys. The Stavanger Region has also previously been the host for other sustainable transport projects, like the EU-funded TrAM project, in addition to Stavanger itself being Norway’s Best Cycling City.