"NEA 2.0 will among other map and carry out necessary infrastructure changes, develop business models and evaluate safety and security requirements", says Nina Egeli, Head of Program at Nordic Innovation.
The purpose of Nordic Network for Electric Aviation (NEA) is to make intra-Nordic, cross-border, electric aviation routes possible and to speed up the implementation of electrical aviation. The network was established in 2019 as a consortium of leading industry stakeholders including the innovation ecosystem of electric aviation. Since then, it has been an important network for the electric aviation industry in the Nordics and beyond.
NEA has enabled personal and professional lines of communication to speed up collaboration between key stakeholders. Today, NEA is a fully functioning Nordic community with leading expertise in the field of electric aviation.
“Co-creation is the fundamental for the success of NEA. We have the stakeholders in the eco-system that will make this happen. We have airports, we have airlines as well as test arenas and airplane business. We can share experiences and learn from each other with each stakeholder becoming more competitive as a result”, says Maria Fiskerud, NEA Project Management Team and Innovation Eco-system Lead at Heart Aerospace.
Building on the results from NEA 1.0, Nordic Innovation has decided to support NEA 2.0 in the period 2023 – 2026.
Towards a standardized cross-Nordic system for electric aviation
The project works with four overall goals within electric aviation: standardization, connectivity, Nordic context and co-creation. In order to reach the overall goals, NEA 2.0 will focus on the following cross-Nordic activities:
- Infrastructure and new technology: Prepare destinations for electric aircraft by mapping out necessary infrastructure changes
- Safety and security: Evaluate safety and security requirements, adapt and prepare requirements for electric aviation
- Decision support system: Create a decision support system for stakeholders to optimize infrastructure and operations for the future of electric aviation
- Communication and Government Affairs: Increase political and public awareness around electric aviation through communication activities
“Most Nordic countries have provided a clear goal of making all domestic aviation routes zero emission within 2030. Elfly Group is committed to this goal by building the world’s first all-electric amphibious seaplane and are also investing time and resources through NEA the next three years so that all stakeholders and infrastructure are ready to operationalize this new shift to the benefit of the planet, municipalities and people. We are excited to be working side by side with the most important Nordic aviation players to achieve our shared goals”, says Eric Lithun, CEO at Elfly Group.
“Regional aviation has three challenges- Climate, Cost and Connectivity. Climate, since aviation accounts for 2,7% of the global CO2 emissions. But it is also a connectivity challenge as many major airport hubs are very busy and regional airports are underused. Finally, it is a cost issue that gives low profitability of regional aviation, todays airplanes also have high acquisition and maintenance costs. These challenges will be solved with electric aviation, says Maria Fiskerud, NEA Project Management Team and Innovation Eco-system Lead at Heart Aerospace.
Best practice example of Nordic Added Value
By bringing the ecosystem together in speeding up cross border electric aviation, NEA 2.0 stands as a best practice example of Nordic Added Value, and it is directly linked to the Nordic Prime Ministers vision for the Nordic region to become the most integrated region in the world by 2030.
NEA 2.0 is funded under the Nordic Green Mobility program which is a continuation of the Nordic Smart Mobility and Connectivity program, which ran from 2018 - 2021.
