Commercial Service to the Mainland Could Prove a Vital Lifeline of Affordable Transit

Elfly Group has announced a partnership with the Swedish Region Gotland that could see their 'green' Noemi seaplane enter commercial services to the island by 2027.

Elfly Group has been hard at work on the 'Noemi' (taken from "No Emissions"), a relatively traditional looking seaplane that uses electrically driven overwing motors in place of gas-burning turboprops. Gotland is a solid choice to start seaplane operations, too, being the largest of Sweden's islands about 55 miles offshore. Both Elfly Group and Region Gotland signed off on a Letter of Intent detailing to explore 'deeper collaboration', which will likely blossom in time as the Noemi gets closer to actual certification and operation. The Noemi would add a significant level of speed and carrying capacity for anyone looking to head back to the mainland in a jiffy, while returning to the grand tradition of 'clippers' as enjoyed a century ago. The Noemi and similar aircraft offer a much more affordable operational cost than a turbine-powered multiengine seaplane, and Elfly promises they'll get all-weather certification to ensure as little downtime as possible.

"We are excited to partner with Region Gotland in this groundbreaking initiative as we move towards a greener future," said Eric Lithun, CEO of Elfly Group. “Our electric seaplane Noemi can create new opportunities for Gotland and showcase the potential of zero-emission solutions in many markets worldwide. We will contribute to Gotland so that it reaches its goal to start commercial zero-emission flights by 2030.”

Meit Fohlin, Chairman of the Gotland Regional Board, said the Noemi would add a helpful lifeline to island living. "One of our biggest regional development requirements is securing good communications to and from the island. We are working actively to get electric flights to Gotland. We are, accordingly, pleased and proud to be able to announce today that with this Letter of Intent we are initiating a deeper collaboration with Elfly Group."

 “These new electric seaplanes are certifiable to both VFR and IFR conditions - today," Lithun added. "Huge amounts of funding have been poured into eVTOLs that don’t have the regulations to certify, so they have a lot of work to do to get certificated. We are working within the rules and regulations of today. Commercial next generation electric seaplane operations don’t need costly infrastructure, just a small pontoon with chargers, dockside. The water is our runway.”

FMI: www.el-fly.no