By Taylor Guglielmino
How to Book an All-Electric SAS Flight
SAS will begin allowing customers to reserve seats on what will be the first electric aircraft flights in 2028. While the Scandinavian airline does not yet have an actual date for the flight, passengers will be able to make reservations with the airline for a date that will be announced via email at a later time. SAS has made a commitment to being net zero emissions by 2050 and they believe that using these electric aircraft on shorter flights will help them with that goal.
In a press release, Anko van der Werff, President and CEO of SAS said, “Since its inception in 1946, SAS has been one of the pioneers in the airline industry, being for instance the first commercial airline operator to fly over the North Pole to significantly shorten flight time between continents. A groundbreaking activity for which SAS received the Columbus Prize. The fact that we can now invite our passengers to the next major milestone in the future of aviation is a natural continuation of that pioneering spirit and a significant step on our journey towards more sustainable aviation.”
The aircraft that SAS will be flying on this route and will be the first commercially available hybrid electric aircraft is the Heart Aerospace ES-30 Regional Airliner. The ES-30 has an expected all-electric range of about 125 miles with the potential for longer flights using the hybrid electric power plant.
The ticket price for the inaugural flight will be SEK/NOK/DKK 1946 – a tribute to the year when SAS first started flying and reservations can be made at flysas.com/electric starting at 12:00pm CET on June 2, 2023.
SAS has made a significant push towards being a fully sustainable airline, the press release continued, “Being a driving force in a more sustainable aviation is our priority, and we are working actively to lower CO₂ emission and reduce climate impact. This includes supporting innovation and partnerships to find new solutions, making investments in new, more fuel-efficient aircraft, increasing production and use of more sustainable aviation fuels and many other enhancements to our inflight offerings and service.”
The advancement of electric aircraft is both an exciting opportunity for aviation enthusiasts to experience something brand new as well as a major step in the advancement of short-haul air travel. Time will tell if electric aircraft will catch on with the increasingly skeptical public and if larger markets, such as U.S.-based airlines will place additional orders for the ES-30. United currently has an order for the all-electric aircraft on the books.
