Aircraft
Bristow and Electra Test Ultra Short Aircraft in Norway
Testing to begin mid-2027 at Norwegian airports
Bristow and Electra signed a contract with Norwegian authorities to test the hybrid-electric EL9 aircraft starting mid-2027 at airports in northern Norway.
Bristow and Electra signed a contract with Norwegian authorities to test the hybrid-electric EL9 aircraft starting mid-2027 at airports in northern Norway.

Bristow Group, Electra, Avinor, and Norway's civil aviation authority signed a contract to test Electra’s hybrid-electric EL9 Ultra Short aircraft in Norway, in a project set to begin in mid-2027. The nine-passenger aircraft can take off and land in as little as 50 meters (164 feet) and is designed for regional travel in the 80- to 800-kilometer range (about 44 to 432 nm).

Flight testing is planned in phases, starting with operations at smaller airports in northern Norway, then progressing to operations from novel or adapted access points such as parking lots or fields, and finally to operations feeding into a major Norwegian hub. The preparation phase will take approximately six months.