If you closed your eyes and listened, it was hard to figure out what was flying over the Vilhelm Lauritzen Terminal at Copenhagen Airport.
The propeller at the back of the small test plane sounded more like an overworked fan than a classic airplane engine.
»It’s so quiet«, someone among the onlookers said as the plane turned in the air and started flying towards them.
»Try to be quiet so we can hear how quiet it is«, replied another.
But it isn’t a classic airplane engine. The test plane flies solely on electricity, and it is the first of its kind to land at Copenhagen Airport, having arrived from Sønderborg. A journey that took about an hour.
Prior to this, it had traveled through several European countries, with its final destination in Norway, where it will fly back and forth between Bergen and Stavanger in what the Norwegian aviation authorities are calling a »sandbox« for testing CO2-free aircraft.
And the excitement for its visit was palpable in the terminal.
»The future is right here in front of us«, said Christian Poulsen, the director of Copenhagen Airport, in a speech to the plane spotters, journalists, and airport employees who had been invited to witness a demonstration of the electric plane.
Beside him stood Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen (Venstre, V), who shared the enthusiasm.
»Danes should not fly less; they should fly greener«, he said when it was time for questions.
It almost sounds like you think Danes should fly more domestically?
»Yes, of course«, he said and continued:
»Mobility creates growth and prosperity and wealth and a Denmark in better balance«.
The invited plane spotters were also thrilled about the visit.
»If I hadn’t been allowed to come along, I would have stood outside by the fence and looked in«, said Claudia Maria Nielsen, a 66-year-old woman with brown bobbed hair wearing a purple floral T-shirt. She describes herself as the black sheep of the family because she’s the only one who doesn’t work at the airport.
An electric moped with wings
There was little skepticism in Kastrup about the fact that the small plane can only carry five passengers or 281 kilos of cargo, which is far from the capacity of planes that typically fly domestic flights to places like Aalborg.
But if one were to board the electric plane for the trip to Aalborg, one could find a critical voice at the city’s university.
Here, Peter Omand Rasmussen researches electrical machines, and for him, Thursday’s visit is not a »milestone«, as Christian Poulsen described it. For according to him, the plane is rather aviation’s equivalent to an electric moped than a modern electric car.
»It’s alright, but it doesn’t make a difference«, he says and continues, »It’s a bit unfortunate that there’s a sense that electric planes are coming soon, because there’s still a long way to go«.
The problem, he explains, is that batteries are not efficient enough in terms of how much electricity they can store relative to their weight. So if an electric plane were to have a battery large enough to produce sufficient energy for a passenger plane, it would be too heavy.
So today, you can only fly short distances in small planes with a small load.
Therefore, Peter Omand Rasmussen is critical of electric planes as a solution to aviation’s CO2 emissions and wonders why the government is focusing on it. He doesn’t believe we can avoid flying less.
»Air traffic is one of the hardest things to electrify«, he says.
A revolution
When the speeches were over, the plane taxied back to the terminal, where it was plugged in on the side with a connector unmistakably similar to that used for charging an electric car.
With the minister leading the way, people were given yellow vests and escorted past the security barriers to see the plane up close.
Thomas Danielsen, by his own admission, is more excited about electric planes than most. So much so that he acknowledges he might sound a bit foolish in 2025.
»People always say »yes, good for you«, but the plane behind me...«, he said after stepping out of the plane again: »... it flew from Sønderborg to Copenhagen with the same energy consumption as an electric car. Like an electric car! Isn’t that amazing?«.
Peter Omand Rasmussen’s criticism of the plane largely rolls off the Minister. The technology will keep up and evolve.
»If it doesn’t happen, it would be the first time we fail to electrify a part of the transport sector«, he says.
Peter Omand Rasmussen also acknowledges that electric planes are the way forward in the long run, but something »revolutionary« needs to happen if we are to start seeing routes longer than the 622 kilometers the test plane can handle.
»If we get electric planes that can fly up to 1,000 kilometers, make a stop, and fly another 1,000 kilometers, then it would make a difference. That would cover almost half of all air transport«, he says.
The plane spotters are also ready to see more electric planes.
»It should have been in the air longer«, said an elderly man.
»Yes, we can agree on that«, replied Claudia Maria Nielsen, who was impressed by how much quieter the plane was than she had expected.
Are you glad you took time off work to be here?
»Yes! I think the only way I could have been disappointed is if I hadn’t shown up«.
