ELECTRON aviation is part of a group of Dutch companies currently developing a fully battery-electric aircraft that can carry five people over a distance of 500 km, all on one battery charge and with no direct CO2 emissions. The start-up aims to launch an on-demand regional mobility service with a fleet of its own aircraft by 2027.

‘Today, airlines dictate how and when you fly. Imagine if you could instead fly directly from Twente Airport at your chosen time to any place within a 500-km radius. To be clear, that would take you to Berlin, London or Paris in less than two hours. We chose a purely battery-electric aircraft for two reasons: first, it allows us to meet our target of zero direct CO2 emissions. Secondly, it offers the lowest operating costs, ultimately allowing us to match the price of an Economy class airline ticket and even train tickets in other countries,’ says Josef Mouris, CEO and co-founder of ELECTRON aviation. ‘To be able to fly meaningful distances within this decade, we had to compromise on aircraft size and limit ourselves to five seats. Which is actually the perfect size for our on-demand business model. A taxi company that needs to pick up two to four people doesn't do that with a 30-seater bus either.’
 
Jan Schuring, Twente Airport director: ‘From a recent survey of local businesses in the province of Overijssel and Twente region, we know that there is a need for better connectivity - both within the Netherlands and cross-border to Germany, France and the UK. The identified travel patterns fit well within the scope of the aircraft proposed by ELECTRON aviation.’ 

‘ELECTRON aviation's aircraft will be clean, quiet high-tech systems built from composite materials and electronics. The Twente region has both the potential market demand and the infrastructure needed to launch this new form of mobility. The partners are creating the network that will connect European regional economies within four hours. We support the development of electric flying from the start because it is a sustainable business case. The need to travel will increase, so these developments will continue to boost the regional economy in the coming years,’ concludes Robbert Jan Kooij, Sr. Project Manager at Regional Development Agency Oost NL.

Both ELECTRON aviation and Twente Airport are members of the Electric Flying Connection (EFC) and jointly participated in an application by the Dutch Growth Fund to support battery-electric flying. Gerben Groothuis, eFlight Business Development Manager at Twente Airport explains: ‘Together with ELECTRON aviation, NACO and other operators, we will develop an ‘airport-in-a-box’ concept. Think of mobile containers that can be used by multiple operators, enabling fast and easy passenger handling.’