Marlborough Airport has welcomed BETA ALIA CX300, the first electric aircraft to carry the Air New Zealand name.

This marks the next stage of the airline’s Next Generation Aircraft technical demonstrator programme with operations between Wellington and Blenheim over the next few weeks. This trial route across Cook Strait will help Air New Zealand learn more about the electric aircraft in New Zealand conditions. Marlborough and Wellington airports have spent more than a year preparing for its arrival after winning the bid to host the trial route against other airports across New Zealand.

Marlborough Airport is proud to participate in this collaboration and looks forward to sharing its learnings with other regional airports about hosting electric aircraft, Marlborough Airport Chief Executive Dean Heiford said.

“This was a big day for our small airport. We’ve spent months with Wellington Airport, Air New Zealand and other partners to understand the practical requirements, from the charging station through to revised safety planning. This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see what the future holds,” he said.

Civil Aviation Authority has approved the zero-emission experimental aircraft for demonstration flights as a first step, ahead of the commercial aircraft’s planned arrival in 2027. During this trial route, the aircraft may only carry cargo and its two pilots from BETA and Air New Zealand. Throughout the programme, project partners have worked closely with the Civil Aviation Authority to safely operate and monitor the aircraft in New Zealand conditions.

The aircraft has already visited other regional airports in the North Island, Mr Heiford said, with project partners learning how electric aircraft can safely and practically integrate into New Zealand’s airspace.

“It’s early days, but this is a first step in understanding the transition that we’ll need to take as a regional airport looking to the future of aviation. Our airport has made significant investments in infrastructure over the past year, taking the opportunity to install charging facilities for the electric aircraft and our own hybrid vehicles,” he said.