Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) will facilitate publicly accessible, electrically powered flights between the Netherlands, Liège (Belgium) and Merzbrück (Germany) this summer. With this special pilot, the airport is taking a foretaste of the future of eAviation. These groundbreaking flights provide a glimpse into the future of Maastricht Aachen Airport, with the airport seeing an important role for eAviation in connecting the regional passenger airport with international hubs. The aim of this pilot project is to learn and experience what is needed to transport passengers emission-free. The Electrifly project is a collaboration between the airports of Maastricht, Liège and Aachen, the European centre for aerospace engineering Fachhochschule Aachen, business aviation operator ASL Group and electric car brand NIO. “It is a huge step forward in MAA’s mission to enable zero-emission flight for the public, opening the door to sustainable air connectivity between regional airports,” said Jonas van Stekelenburg, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), MST. ‘We would like to invite everyone who pursues the same goals to join us at Maastricht Aachen Airport; This kind of research, in which we investigate the potential of electric flying, is crucial for the future of sustainable passenger and cargo transport.’ FH, ASL and NIO supply the planes and cars, with the latter providing transport to and from the airports within a radius of 15 km. “The Electrifly project has proven that collaboration and teamwork are key to the future of electric transport. ASL Group is proud to be part of this project and to collaborate with Maastricht Aachen Airport, Fachhochschule and NIO to make this project a reality,” says Johan Maertens, co-CEO of ASL Group. The Electrifly project runs from the beginning of July to August and flies within the Euregion. All parties involved will soon reap the benefits of the valuable information this will provide on how electric flights and transport can be booked and made accessible to the public. “We know this is an important moment for the future of sustainable flying, and at FH we have been working on what we believe could be the future of electric aviation. We are proud of what our collaboration has led to and look forward to developing it further,” said Prof. Janser of the Fachhochschule Aachen. All flights offered are based on the EASA cost-sharing principle, where the costs are shared between the pilot and the passengers. Photo © Electrifly.
