German regional airline FLN Frisia is working on a project for passenger air travel shortly after celebrating its 50th anniversary. Following the example of parent company AG Reederei Norden-Frisia, FLN is taking a step towards electromobility by forming a joint venture with Munich-based aircraft manufacturer Scylax. Founded by engineers Calin Gologan and Rosario De Luca, Skylax is looking to establish electric flight in commercial aviation.

In view of discussions about climate change and the reduction of CO2 emissions, the partners want to set the tone. The primary motivation behind FLN's decision to participate with the Bavarian aircraft manufacturer is that CO2-free electric air traffic fits well with the times and the region in which FLN operates. Huge quantities of electrical energy are generated from wind power in Eastern Friesland, a holiday region in the northwest, while the nearby Wadden Sea National Park holds UNESCO world cultural heritage status.

Calin Gologan, founder and chief developer of Elektra Solar, a spin-off of DLR - German Aerospace Centre, has already proven that it is possible to fly fully electric. For almost ten years, the electric aircraft developed by Gologan have been in the air. The first single-seater electric plane, the Elektra One Solar, has been flying since 2011 and crossed the Alps for the first time in 2015. In Elektra Solar's portfolio there are also all-electric stratosphere flights and autonomous flying electric aircraft with high precision 3D measurement technology and for long-term flights using solar cells. In 2011, the company was honoured with the Lindbergh E-Aviation Award.

As the main shareholder of Scylax, Elektra Solar is able to develop an electric aircraft tailored to island aviation with FLN, in close cooperation with DLR experts and a highly specialised team of its own employees. “These are the partners we need in Eastern Friesland, purposefully and practically,” explains FLN managing director Olaf Weddermann.

According to the current timetable, FLN intends to start with the deployment of an initial e-drive freighter in three years' time. A production-ready, officially approved, ten-seat passenger aircraft for island air traffic will then lift off the ground for the first time in eight years.