Electric airplane whooshes into Marlborough
Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor, seated in the cockpit of the BETA ALIA CX300, learns about the electric aircraft from Air New Zealand's James Owen during a stopover in Blenheim on Wednesday morning. Photo: Evan Tuchinsky
With aviation aficionados looking on from the tarmac, an electric aircraft landed at Marlborough Airport on Wednesday morning, capping a test flight from Wellington.
Air New Zealand is conducting trial runs of the BETA ALIA CX300 in and out of Blenheim over the next several weeks as part of its Next Generation Aircraft technical programme.
The propeller-driven plane, powered by electricity, will cross the Cook Strait daily – sometimes multiple times a day – as part of the process toward certification. Air New Zealand anticipates using the craft initially to carry cargo.
Check the 4 February edition of Marlborough Weekly for more details and photos.