Iceland’s first fully electric aircraft took to the air this weekend at the Everything That Flies airshow in Hella.
The main event was cancelled due to the weather. Nevertheless, several flight enthusiasts were still present for the maiden flight.
The aircraft was made by the manufacturer Pipistrel, a Slovenian aerospace company that has led the field in the development of electric aircraft.
The plane was imported to Iceland by Rafmagnsflug ehf, in cooperation with several other organizations, such as Landsvirkjun, Icelandair, Isavia, Hótel Rangá, Landsbankinn, Flúgskólinn Geirfugl, Flugskóli Reykjavíkur, and Flugakademía Íslands. The plane is intended to introduce electric flight to Icelanders and for use as a training aircraft.
Rafmagnsflug ehf. was founded in 2021 by Matthías Sveinbjörnsson and Friðrik Palsson, but they had worked previously on importing such aircraft to Iceland.
Iceland is positioned favourably to make the transition to electric aircraft, with short domestic routes and access to green electricity. The training of pilots for such electric aircraft is seen as the first step in a larger transformation of the aviation industry.
