A study recently presented by Dutch researchers NACO/Royal HaskoningDHV and Royal NLR to the Netherlands’ House of Representatives concluded that the first nine-passenger electric aircraft could reach the short-haul AAM market by 2026, bringing sustainable aviation an important step further. The Netherlands has set a goal to fully electrify short-haul aviation by 2050.

According to the authors, the share of global CO2 emissions from aviation could increase from 2 percent to more than 20 percent by 2050 if policies remain unchanged.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the study is the first to give integrated attention to the aviation ecosystem of stakeholders and all technical, logistical, energy and financial aspects that play a role in the design of electric aviation. For example, it lent focused consideration to the availability of the devices and batteries, the layout and logistics at the airports, charging technology, (renewable) energy facilities, and costs.

Challenges related to aircraft include developing batteries, certifying new aircraft, and scaling production to meet demand. On the ground, difficulties include adapting the infrastructure, legislation, and regulations, establishing sustainable energy sources, and answering to the peak in energy demand during charging. Despite the obstacles, the researchers support the conclusion that electrically powered aircraft, with a capacity of up to 19 passengers on routes up to 200 km, could fully assume the role of traditional aviation.

Researchers used the flight schedule between Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao as an example of how to quantify the impact of the introduction of electric flying in terms of infrastructure, energy demand, and costs. The study provides insight into both the investments and the operational costs of converting commercial air traffic between the three islands in three phases: first, to start small in 2026, and then reduce conventional air traffic (as measured in 2019) by 50 percent in 2030, and go to fully electric by 2035. With the knowledge gained from the analysis, the ministry believes it can map the possibilities in the Netherlands.