V\u00c6RNES, Norway, April 21, 2026 \u2013 Bristow Group Inc., Electra, Avinor, and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority today announced the launch and contract signing of a second international test project for zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aviation. The project builds on Norway\u2019s established international test arena and aims to generate operational, regulatory and market knowledge supporting the introduction of electric and hybrid\u2011electric aircraft.<\/p>\n
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The Challenge with Regional Mobility<\/p>\n
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In countries like Norway, geography can make regional travel time-consuming and inefficient. Electra\u2019s breakthrough design is built to overcome these challenges, creating new opportunities for sustainable aviation that connect remote communities with regional centers.<\/p>\n
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Electra\u2019s hybrid-electric airplane operates from ultra-short access\u202fpoints,\u202fthe size of a football pitch\/soccer field, and dramatically reduces travel times by flying directly across terrain and waterways that make surface transportation frustrating and slow.<\/p>\n
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From Prototype to System-Level Learning<\/p>\n
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Under the agreement, Electra\u202fand Bristow\u202fwill conduct demonstrations\u202finvolving\u202fElectra’s hybrid-electric Ultra Short\u202faircraft.\u202fThe goal is to examine the possibilities of novel aircraft operations to transform regional mobility networks, unlocking capabilities not possible with a conventional aircraft or even a helicopter.<\/p>\n
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The demonstration flights will focus on several use cases,\u202fincluding integration of ultra\u2011short operations at existing short runways, the use of novel access points like parking lots, drone pads or fields to support unserved or underserved communities, and the ability to feed services into major hub airports without adding congestion.<\/p>\n
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Each demonstration will\u202fprovide insight into\u202femissions\u202freductions, novel operational concepts, and the scalability of regional air mobility services. Structured testing under Norway\u2019s regulatory sandbox will also give regulators practical insight into how these operations can be evaluated and supported.<\/p>\n
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Phased Test Programme<\/p>\n
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Testing will be carried out in phases, progressing from operations at smaller airports in Northern Norway, to testing from novel or adapted access points, and finally, to operations feeding into a major Norwegian aviation hub. Exact test locations will be defined during the preparation phase and concluded within approximately six months, with the aim of commencing test operations mid-2027.<\/p>\n
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Next step for Norway as an international test arena<\/p>\n
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Building on experience from the first international test project, the programme moves beyond route\u2011specific testing to broader exploration of operational, infrastructural and regulatory aspects. In doing so, it strengthens the test arena as a platform for systematic learning and represents a further step toward the phased introduction of zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aviation technologies.<\/p>\n
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The contract signing was held at Trondheim Airport, V\u00e6rnes, which represents one of the environments under consideration for future test activities.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis project marks a new step in the further development of Norway\u2019s international test arena for zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aviation,\u201d said the Norwegian Minister of Transport, Jon-Ivar Nyg\u00e5rd. \u201cThe test arena is an important instrument in preparing aviation for new technologies. The government\u2019s role is to support this work by providing clear frameworks and long\u2011term predictability.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn a long and sparsely populated country like Norway, where aviation is essential for regional mobility and accessibility, it is particularly important to gain knowledge about how new solutions can be introduced in a safe and responsible manner when the technology is mature.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith over 75 years of operating experience, Bristow knows what it takes to turn promising technology into practical operations,\u201d said Dave Stepanek, Bristow Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes our work with Electra so important. The aircraft\u2019s ultra-short takeoff and landing capability creates exciting possibilities, and our role is to help validate how that aircraft can perform safely and effectively in real-world conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cElectra\u2019s hybrid-electric Ultra Short aircraft opens the door to lowering emissions and new connectivity beyond the limits of traditional aircraft,\u201d said Diana Siegel, Vice President of Commercial Programs at Electra. \u201cRealizing that potential requires the right ecosystem. Partnering with Bristow, Avinor, and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority brings together operations, infrastructure and regulation to demonstrate novel operations at both existing airfields and new access points.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith this project, we are taking a further step in preparing aviation infrastructure for the introduction of zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aircraft,\u201d said Karianne Helland Strand, EVP Sustainability and Infrastructure at Avinor. \u201cAs the owner and operator of airports and airspace infrastructure, Avinor\u2019s role is to facilitate real\u2011world testing \u2013 both in the air and on the ground \u2013 so new aircraft and operational concepts can be assessed safely and efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cWith this technological platform, new parts of the regulatory framework will be tested and assessed. A key task for CAA Norway will be to obtain the necessary approvals for these trials to be conducted within our established regulatory sandbox,\u201d said CAA Director General, Lars Kobberstad. \u201cWe will be able to further improve our safety model for managing risks in an innovation setting. Furthermore, the project gives us a chance to develop our competence and contribute to a more efficient introduction of new technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n
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About the International Test Arena<\/p>\n
Norway\u2019s international test arena for zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aviation is a government\u2011backed initiative led by Avinor and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority. It is designed to accelerate introduction of zero- and low-emission technologies and reduce risk through real\u2011world testing and regulatory development.<\/p>\n
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About the Partners<\/p>\n
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Bristow Group<\/p>\n
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical flight solutions. We primarily provide aviation services to a broad base of offshore energy companies and government entities. Our aviation services include personnel transportation, search and rescue (\u201cSAR\u201d), medevac, fixed wing transportation, unmanned systems and ad-hoc helicopter services. Our energy customers charter our helicopters primarily to transport personnel to, from and between onshore bases and offshore production platforms, drilling rigs and other installations. Our government customers primarily outsource SAR activities whereby we operate specialized helicopters and provide highly trained personnel. Our other services include fixed wing transportation services through a regional airline in Australia and dry-leasing aircraft to third-party operators in support of other industries and geographic markets.<\/p>\n
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Our core business of providing aviation services to leading global energy companies and government entities provides us with geographic and customer diversity that helps mitigate risks associated with a single market or customer. We currently have customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom (\u201cUK\u201d) and the United States (\u201cU.S.\u201d).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
V\u00c6RNES, Norway, April 21, 2026 \u2013 Bristow Group Inc., Electra, Avinor, and the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority today announced the launch and contract signing of a second international test project for zero\u2011 and low\u2011emission aviation. The project builds on Norway\u2019s established international test arena and aims to generate operational, regulatory and market knowledge supporting the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5256,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5248\/revisions\/5256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in-flightmag.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}