Norwegian electric seaplane developer Elfly and the Lofoten Archipelago in the Arctic Norway have agreed to partner on the development of the Noemi aircraft.
Noemi (No Emissions) will have a range of 170km (105 miles) with 45 minutes reserve and a top speed of 250km/h (155mph). The electric aircraft is designed to take off and land at “floating airports” on Norway’s sea, lakes and fjords and will be configurable for cargo and different types of passenger flights.
Lofoten Green Islands is a private-public partnership for sustainable development in the Lofoten Archipelago. The organisations have agreed to pursue the development of zero-emission regional aviation together.
The group recognizes that Elfly’s ambitions can contribute to Norway achieving its goal for domestic aviation to be emission-free by 2040 and that Elfly can help Lofoten become a pilot region for zero-emission aviation.
Eric Lithun, CEO and founder of Elfly said, “We are very proud to have the Lofoten Regional Council on board with us on this journey, as we work to develop a product which suits their needs in the region, supporting travel and tourism, but also addressing the local transport needs for Lofoten inhabitants. This agreement shows that with our electric seaplane concept we meet that need, and that we have interested customers. Seaplanes will return.”
Thom Benjaminsen, Mayor of the Vågan municipality in Lofoten and the head of the Lofoten Regional Council Vidar said, “Lofoten is a spectacular but demanding geographical area, where ground transport takes a long time. An electric aircraft capable of landing on water in a safe and good way, affordably priced, will be very good for Lofoten. We can travel from Svolvær to Reine in less than half an hour and make much better connections with larger regional centres.
