It was a historic day for Finnish aviation and electric traffic as Finland's first electric airplane had its successful maiden flight today on July 31st in Helsinki. A large crowd of media and aviation enthusiasts witnessed this historic event at Helsinki-Malmi airport. The airplane, Pipistrel Alpha Electro, the first serial produced electric airplane in Finland is owned and operated by Helsinki Electric Aviation Association.
"The day was very important for the electric aviation in Finland," states the Chairman of Helsinki Electric Aviation Association Janne Vasama. "Aviation is facing radical changes, so we wanted to promote the know-how of electric flying in Finland. The aim is to investigate for example battery life and performance, charging infra and ecology of aviation together with pioneers in various industries."
The use of electricity in aviation reduces emissions into the atmosphere and noise around airports, and according to calculations, also costs of piloting trainings. Vasama hopes to see that Finland could act as a forerunner and make all shorter air travels on electric airplanes.
Finland is among the first European countries to begin electric aviation, and after Norway the second Nordic country to acquire its first electric airplane.
Ensto has almost a decade's knowhow of electric vehicle charging technology and 60 years' experience of electrification, and seeks for new innovative areas for electrification business. "Even though electrification of air traffic is in its pioneer stage, we see technology enabling rapid development in emission-free aviation. In addition, we want to encourage innovativeness of which the project of Helsinki Electric Aviation Association is a good example," Matti Rae, Director at Ensto states.
"We strongly believe in electric aviation and follow it as a new interesting business opportunity," Rae continues.
Matti Rae, Director, Ensto, +358 40 503 5792, matti.rae@ensto.com
Janne Vasama, Chairman, Helsinki Electric Aviation Association, +358 40 512 3575, info@sahkolentokone.fi
Ensto designs and provides smart electrical solutions to improve the safety, functionality, reliability and efficiency of smart grids, buildings and transportation. Ensto, an international technology company and a family business, was founded in 1958 and employs ca. 1,600 passionate professionals in Europe, the USA and Asia. In 2017, we generated turnover of 261 million euros. We believe in a better life with electricity and a more sustainable tomorrow.