Rex Airlines electrifies the aviation scene
It might be because the airline’s heart beats strong in country Australia, that Rex Airlines has a compelling game plan for protecting the environment and maintaining operational sustainability into the future.
The award-winning airline plans to start flight trials using an electric engine in one of its 34-seat Saab 340s in 2024. The aircraft will be retrofitted with an electric and hydrogen-powered MagniX engine and tested on short regional flights of less than one hour.
The airline’s Deputy Chairman, John Sharp, told media the airline would be swapping out the existing engine that burns fuel, for an electric motor, which will be supported by a combination of batteries and hydrogen.
As part of its program to incorporate zero emission aircraft into its existing fleet, Rex Airlines has partnered with Dovetail Electric Aviation, to help it convert its existing turbine powered aircraft to electric nil emission propulsion. Dovetail was formed in 2021 by Sydney Aviation Holdings, owners of Sydney Seaplanes and Dante Aeronautical, which is a company that’s pioneering electric aviation concepts and has a presence in Spain and Australia.
Mr Sharp said Rex Airlines was both proud and excited to be at the forefront of developments in sustainable regional aviation.
“Regional airlines operating short sectors as well as seaplanes and training aircraft will be the early adopters of electric battery propulsion,” Mr Sharp said. “Australia with its very high utilisation of regional aviation and large number of aircraft capable of conversion, is a perfect incubator for the electric aviation industry. Significantly lower operating costs of electric aircraft will also help to stimulate regional aviation services between communities not currently served by scheduled flights.
“We are delighted to partner with Dovetail Electric Aviation and to lend our aviation and engineering expertise to advance its progress, while also accelerating Rex Airlines’ journey to a zero emissions future. Dovetail promises to deliver the holy grail in aviation: true sustainability; lower maintenance and operating costs and also less waste as a function of the reuse of existing aircraft.”
The conversion of turbine aircraft to electric propulsion promises to bring zero emissions aviation into the mainstream much faster and more cost effectively than via newly commissioned electrical planes. Dovetail expects to achieve certification for converted aircraft within four years, compared with more than eight to 10 years for clean sheet electric aircraft, and at a fraction of the certification costs. Aircraft will be converted using MagniX engines for which Dovetail is the exclusive distributor in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Mediterranean Europe.
Keen to see how Rex Airlines is making its in-flight catering as fresh, local and sustainable as possible? Read this bite-size article.