UK 'should bring in passenger flights on electric planes as islands are ideal'

30 November 2023 , 13:38

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Destinations such as Scottish islands could be served by electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft, peers heard

Britain should pioneer passenger flights aboard electric planes hopping between the UK mainland and islands dotted around the coast, peers were told today.

Ministers were urged to back technology for greener aircraft to slash emissions. Lib Dem Baroness Rosalind Scott called on the Government to “give consideration to using public service obligation flights as a test bed for these new technologies, given they’re essential services; they’re also short and domestic flights”.

According to a recent parliamentary report, “PSOs subsidise routes that might not otherwise be commercially viable”. It added: “PSO routes are currently used to connect Scottish Islands airports and Glasgow; Cardiff and Anglesey; Newquay and London Gatwick; Dundee and London Stansted; and Derry and London Southend. PSOs have generally replaced other forms of ‘start-up’ aid for regional air routes.”

Lib Dem Lord Chris Fox said “internal, domestic” flights were “ideal” for battery-powered planes. But he said as well as building the aircraft, vital infrastructure such as charging points needed to be installed at airports. Labour peer Lord Dennis Tunnicliffe, a former British Airways pilot, said the UK was “well-placed to become a hub of global hydrogen aviation, stimulating the economy and providing 100,000 jobs”. But he said developing the technology would require “a 10-year funding commitment”.

Transport Minister Lord Byron Davies said various aviation industry projects were “seeking to bring hydrogen-propelled aircraft into commercial service”. He added: “Development of hydrogen and battery-electric aircraft is technically challenging and government is supporting the necessary innovation in the UK to overcome these barriers. Between 2013 and 2030, industry and government will invest over £5billion developing transformational aircraft technology and will continue to collaborate closely to drive progress.”

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The minister said that while successful flights of battery-electric-powered aircraft with very few passengers had taken place, “the weight, plus lack of power-density in batteries currently on the market limits the range and payload of electric aircraft”. Pressed on the Conservatives’ commitment to net-zero pledges, he said while the Government was “anti-emissions” it was not “anti-flying”. “We must reduce emissions from aviation while retaining our ability to fly,” he added. “It is still a free world and people can choose which way they want to travel.”

Ben Glaze