An Elektro Tour, led by a young crew aged 17 to 23, marked the first-ever crossing of the English Channel by a certified all-electric aircraft, the Pipistrel Electro.
The tour, which began July 1 at Lyon-Bron Airport in France, takes the crew to nine airports in the VINCI Airports network to showcase the future of sustainable low-emission flight.
The crew is making its way across the English Channel to London Gatwick Airport in the UK, then back across the Channel into France to Rennes Bretagne Airport, followed by Saint-Nazaire Montoir Airport, Nantes Alantique Airport, Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport, Grenoble Alpes Isere, and Chambery Savoie Mont Blanc before concluding July 25 at Annecy Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc.
The effort provides a special emphasis on the decarbonization of air transport with the aim to preserve natural environments, officials say. VINCI Airports is working to decarbonize and reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Since 2018, it’s achieved a 50% reduction in emissions with a revised goal of reducing emissions by two-thirds before 2030. It also is working to reduce emissions from the airport ecosystem, or Scope 3, by working to accelerate the advent of decarbonized aircraft.
Textron’s Pipistrel Velis Electro light aircraft, designed for flying clubs and flight schools, paves the way for decarbonization in the general aviation fleet, organizers say.
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