OSLO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Norway plans to start its first commercial flights using pure electric powered aircraft in 2023, news agency NTB reported Tuesday.
The reportedly first commercial electric airline route in the world is to operate between Stavanger and Bergen in western Norway, a distance of 160 km.
So far, the route has had around 550,000 passengers annually, the report said.
The Norwegian government commissioned the state-owned operator of civil airports Avinor to develop a program, which would facilitate the introduction of electric aircraft in commercial aviation.
No information was yet unveiled about the planned capacity of the flights or the type of electric aircraft to be used for the route.
"The goal is to get the world's first commercial electric airline route. This is a world record, and no one has better conditions than us to achieve it. Here, big partners are contributing and there is no doubt that this can become reality," Harald Minge, CEO of the Stavanger Region's Chamber of Commerce, told newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad.
The Stavanger Airport, located in the town of Sola, is to be self-sufficient with renewable energy by 2025. This will be achieved through a major investment in, among other things, solar and wind power.
"No one knows yet what this will look like in practice, so for us it is very important to have more partners who can contribute to the planning," Anette Sigmundstad, Sola airport's director, told the newspaper.
