A collaboration worth over a billion euros between Lygg and the U.S.-based Electra.aero, Inc. will provide Lygg’s operators with up to 300 hybrid aircraft starting from 2028: with these aircraft alone, Lygg will transport more than 10 million passengers per year, which is more than 60% of Helsinki-Vantaa airport’s total international traffic this year. Integrating 8–14-seater hybrid planes into Lygg’s business model will enable direct connections and the full use of renewable Sustainable Aviation Fuel on all flights, reducing CO2 emissions to just 5% of the conventional levels. The 300-plane deal is valued at over 1 billion euros. Accordingly, Lygg will offer operators the planes through the Hybrid as a Service model, providing financing and a profitable business. “[…] The agreement combines Electra’s revolutionary, already in use technology with Lygg’s equally pioneering business model […]” says Lygg’s CEO Roope Kekäläinen, “the technology allows us to rewrite the definition of direct connections. Existing fields closer to city centers can be utilized more flexibly – in Lahti, for example no additional pavement would be needed to start flight operations if Electra’s planes were already in use there […]”. Lygg operates regional flights mainly at airports outside metropolises and with planes of fewer than 34 seats: Electra’s eSTOL, an electric-hybrid aircraft designed for extremely short runways, needs only about 100 meters of paved or gravel surface to take off or land. Its current range is over 800 kilometers. “And the vision for the future is even more fascinating: a parking lot near a local factory could serve as an airport for Electra’s needs. The renewal of European regulations could potentially free up to a hundred thousand squares across Europe as new airports for the HaaS model (Hybrid as a Service). Large aircraft could not use these takeoff and landing locations, making them practically congestion-free,” adds Kekäläinen. The introduction of hybrid planes will reduce Lygg’s emissions to less than 10% of the conventional levels: even with direct connections and planes sized between 8 and 33 seats, emissions will be halved compared to alternative modes of travel. The carbon footprint will be further reduced by Lygg’s November decision to fully adopt sustainable aviation fuel on all flights by the end of next year, making it the first aviation industry player in the world to do so. With these measures, emissions will be only a fraction of the carbon dioxide amount produced by alternative modes of travel, and the introduction of hybrid planes a few years later will enable a staggering 95% reduction in emissions. “The agreement with Electra ensures that […] with hybrid planes, emissions will decrease even further, and their noise pollution is negligible. Direct connections become even more direct thanks to the ‘Hybrid as a Service’ model, reducing time spent in the air. From 2028 onwards, environmentally conscious business travelers shouldn’t even consider getting into a car, not even carpooling,” emphasizes Kekäläinen.
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