Ecojet
 | This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (July 2023) |
 | |
| Founded | 27 August 2021 (as Fresh Airlines Limited) |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Edinburgh |
| Parent company | Ecotricity |
| Key people | Dale Vince
Brent Smith Peter Davies |
| Website | ecojetair.com |
Ecojet Airlines Limited, styled as ecojet, is a proposed British regional airline based at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland. It aims to commence operations in 2025 with flights to and from Edinburgh Airport.
History
[edit]Founding
[edit]On 17 July 2023, reports emerged that Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity and a prominent climate change activist, had formed a new company[1] by the name of Ecojet, which planned to become the world's first electric airline using a fleet of aircraft powered by renewable energy. The airline had appointed Brent Smith, a former Flybe pilot and the founder of Q400 specialist Altsel Aviation, as its Chief Executive[2] alongside Peter Davies,[3] the former Chief Executive of companies including Brussels Airlines, Air Malta, and Air Southwest,[4] who is also the founder and CEO of Airline Management Group, as its chairman.[5]
Ecojet Airlines Limited was founded on 27 August 2021 as Fresh Airlines Limited, and this name was changed on 2 May 2023 following Dale Vince's appointment as a director.[6]
On 26 January 2024, Ecojet began hiring for crew based in Edinburgh, to operate a fleet of ATR 72 airliners.[7] The same month, the airline made a CAMO application to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority.[8]
On September 23rd, 2024, the airline announced that its operations are now slated to begin in early 2025, with CEO Brent Smith saying that, "It’s taking time because we want to get it right from the very outset."[9]
The airline expects details of its IATA designator codes and callsign to be confirmed shortly.[9]
In October 2024, Ecotricity took over Vince's shareholding in Ecojet.
On November 31th, 2024, Ecojet appointed Wyvern Partners as its financial advisor in order to lead a £20 million fundraising effort in order to satisfy CAA capital requirements for the AOC application process.[10]
Management team
[edit]On 9 December 2023, it was reported that Ecojet had made further appointments to its management team.[11] These appointments included Deon van Rensburg as its Head of Finance, Ben Leon as its Chief Commercial Officer and Augusto Ponte as an advisor to the board of directors. Furthermore, it was officially confirmed that Brent Smith is to take on the role of chief executive officer.
On 8 March 2024, Ecojet announced the appointment of Rebecca Borresen as its Chief Operating Officer, though she would later resign in favour of a position at Loganair.[12][13]
Proposed operations
[edit]The airline has said that it hopes to eliminate single-use plastics from its services, and will also serve plant-based meals and provide crew with sustainable uniforms. Whilst initially it will use traditional kerosene-fuelled aircraft, it plans to shift to electric aircraft once it has begun operations and received its operating licences and airport slots.[14] Alongside fixed-wing operations, it also plans to utilise a fleet of eVTOL aircraft on intercity routes.[citation needed]
Brand imaging
[edit]The airline's livery is based on a stylised rendition of the flag of the United Kingdom. As such, its aircraft carry the tagline "Flag Carrier for Green Britain",[15] with this also being a reference to the Green Britain Group, a company founded by Dale Vince which has shareholdings in ventures such as Ecotricity. The airline's slogan is "Another way."
Fleet
[edit]Dale Vince originally claimed that Ecojet was to launch with the 19-seat Twin Otter aircraft before upscaling to a 70-seat airliner 18 months thereafter.[16] However, in January 2024, the company began hiring for ATR 72 crew to begin operations before mid-2024, with this later being pushed back to 2025.
On 29 November 2023, Ecojet signed an agreement to acquire 70 hydrogen-electric powerplants from ZeroAvia,[17] on lease from MONTE.[citation needed]
On 25 July 2024, Ecojet announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to acquire up to 50 Linx P9 aircraft from ARC Aerosystems.[18] The following day, ZeroAvia announced a further agreement with Ecojet for the purchase of 22 ZA2000 engines.[19]
In November 2024 the airline announced that it had acquired "its first two ATR 72-600 aircraft."[20]
| Aircraft type | In service | On order | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC Aerosystems Linx P9 | - | 20 (+30) | Order for 20 aircraft plus 30 options |
| ATR 72-600 | - | 2 | For entry-into-service in early 2025 |
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6 | - | TBC | For entry-into-service in 2026 |
References
[edit]- ^ "ECOJET AIRLINES LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Ecojet: Dale Vince launches an aviation revolution". www.ecotricity.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (20 July 2023). "Green energy advocate plans new UK regional airline, appoints former Air Southwest CEO". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Experience | Peter Davies FRAeS | LinkedIn".
- ^ "Airline Management Group | AMG | About Us". Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "ECOJET AIRLINES LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (26 January 2024). "Ecojet begins hiring and confirms ATR 72 fleet". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (9 March 2024). "Ecojet appoints Chief Operating Officer ahead of summer launch". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ a b Perry2024-09-23T15:18:00+01:00, Dominic. "Ecojet delays launch until 2025 but insists it is building for the long term". Flight Global. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Top Labour donor Vince takes flight with £20m Ecojet fundraising". Sky News. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (9 December 2023). "Ecojet makes further board appointments in run-up to launch". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (9 March 2024). "Ecojet appoints Chief Operating Officer ahead of summer launch". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ "Loganair appoints new Director of Safety and Sustainability". www.loganair.co.uk. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Leimbach, Sydney (19 July 2023). "Ecojet, UK's First Electric Airline to Launch in 2024". Environment+Energy Leader. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ Lawson, Alex (16 July 2023). "Green energy tycoon to launch UK's first electric airline". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (17 July 2023). "Environmental airline start-up plans to retrofit turboprops with hydrogen-electric engines". Flight Global. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "'Green airline' Ecojet buys 70 electric aircraft engines". 29 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (26 July 2024). "Ecojet announces purchase agreement for up to 62 ZA2000 powertrains". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ "ZeroAvia inks deal to supply hydrogen-electric aircraft engines to Ecojet". www.businessgreen.com. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Cianan (13 November 2024). "Ecojet Airlines initiates growth equity financing to complete regulatory approvals and start commercial operations". Fresh Aviation. Retrieved 14 November 2024.