IDEAS: British Tycoon to Launch Electric Plane Fleet in the UK

British company Ecojet plans to launch electric planes in the UK, featuring plant-based foods and no single-use plastics.

Dale Vince, founder of British green energy company Ecotricity, recently announced Ecojet’s plans to retrofit aircraft with hydro-electric power, pending approval from the UK’s aviation regulatory body, the Civil Aviation Authority.

If approved, the 19-seat and 70-seat planes will launch in 2024, but the retrofitting will not begin until 2025. The decision to retrofit was a purposeful one, as the company claims repurposing planes will save 90,000 tons of carbon per year and added that the planes’ only waste will be water, which can be released at lower atmosphere.

The planes will begin flying between Southampton and Edinburgh, with the goal of expanding into mainland Europe soon after.