An airline is about to put electric planes into operation.

On December 6, Air New Zealand announced plans to use electric aircraft called ALIA on short-haul cargo flights with a route length of about 150km in 2026.

This plan paves the way for using large-generation aircraft for domestic flights from 2030.

Bloomberg news agency quoted Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran as saying that the decision to order ALIA battery-electric aircraft from Beta Technologies "marks a new chapter in the airline's history".

Air New Zealand aircraft (Photo: Getty).

Beta Technologies' ALIA aircraft is more than 12m long, has a maximum speed of 270km/h, and is capable of carrying 6 people including 1 pilot and 5 passengers.

The plane's batteries can be fully charged in a little over an hour. Another version of the plane can take off and land vertically like a helicopter.

Previously, in March, Beta announced that it was seeking a license from the US Federal Aviation Administration for the ALIA aircraft. Currently, this aircraft has flown more than 500km in test flights.

Air New Zealand is also working with Eviation, VoltAero and Cranfield Aerospace to develop next-generation aircraft.

According to Bloomberg, the global aviation industry is looking for solutions to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Electric aircraft are one of the solutions to reduce emissions for short-haul flights, although this technology cannot yet be applied to long-haul flights - journeys that emit a large amount of CO2 from aviation activities.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/sap-co-hang-van-hanh-may-bay-chay-bang-dien-192231207150314052.htm