Lead Aerodynamics Engineer

Oil prices highlight need to develop electric aircraft - Loganair boss. Rob Flett,BBC Scotland News, Orkneyand Steven McKenzie,Highlands and Islands reporter A spike in oil prices due to the US-Israel war with Iran has brought the potential of electric aircraft "sharply into focus", says Loganair's chief executive. The Glasgow-based airline is working with US electric aerospace company Beta Technologies on a project trialling a battery-powered plane. Luke Farajallah said the ambition was to eventually have electric aircraft carrying passengers and freight. He said, meantime, the airline would seek to protect customers from rising costs due to the war. Loganair flies on routes across the UK, including services for the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, and to parts of northern Europe. Farajallah told BBC Radio Orkney: "The [electric aircraft] trial Hoyorkney is undertaking is one of the most exciting phases of my career to date, and it has come at a very interesting time in global history terms. "The oil price spiking as it has done over the last few weeks has really brought sharply into focus the need for us to find alternative methods of energy to propel our next generation of aircraft." He said the trial with Beta involved an operational aircraft that had been in production for some years. Farajallah said he could envision electric aircraft one day operating on "short hop" flights in Orkney. The airline boss said rising fuel prices were a concern. But he added that Loganair had already acquired half the fuel it would need for the coming year through a "locked in contract" which came with a certain price. He said an extra 20 to 25% of fuel was recently added to its stocks. Farajallah said Loganair was doing everything it could to avoid passing the "burden" of rising costs on to its customers. "We might need some small adjustments, but right now we would like to make sure that we don't increase proportionately air fares with the way fuel prices are going," he added. Large electric aircraft. Last year, it was suggested a vehicle that can cross water like a boat or a plane was a possible transport solution for parts of Scotland. US company Regent, which is developing the Seaglider technology, and Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans) were at the time in the early stages of a collaboration on the project. Rhode Island-based Regent's all-electric Viceroy Seaglider is designed to travel on water on its hull, or skim across surface on a hydrofoil and even fly at low level. Hitrans has been looking at other transport innovations as a way of connecting island and rural communities. In 2024, it said six large electric aircraft could potentially be used to fly passengers and freight on Scottish regional air routes. Bedford-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has been looking at how its Airlander 10 transport could operate from sites in Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles and the Highlands.

Another operator interested in Ground Effect vessels. By Alastair - November 21, 2025 REGENT Craft, the developer and manufacturer of all-electric Seaglider vessels, and DHL Express have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the use of electric Seaglider vessels for short haul, coastal, and island logistics, at this week's Dubai Airshow. The Seaglider Ground Effect Vessel (GEV), a next-generation maritime craft, combines the speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a boat, offering high-speed, zero-emission transport. Through this partnership, REGENT and DHL will work together to assess the potential integration of REGENT's Seaglider vessels into DHL's existing logistics network to extend the capabilities of its regional and coastal cargo operations. REGENT (Regional Electric Ground Effect Nautical Transport) are on something of a roll at the moment. Armed with a $10 billion global order book from commercial and defence customers, they are currently building their first 255,000-square-foot Seaglider production facility on Rhode Island, USA, to fulfil those orders. It should be operational next year. Seagliders make use of a well-known phenomenon, known to pilots since the earliest days of aviation, 'ground effect'. This is the cushion created by high-pressure air trapped between wings and the ground or water while flying at low altitude, typically one to ten metres above the surface. The Russian military were quick to exploit GEVs early in the Cold War, building large missile-carrying "ekranoplans" as they named them, that could travel at record speeds over the calm waters of the Caspian Sea. REGENT's GEV, which has been advancing through more sea trials this summer, may not be powered by Russian military turbojets, but it is also pretty big. At 55ft long with a 65ft wingspan, the Seaglider is the largest-ever all-electric flying machine. What makes it unusual is its three-stage transition. At manoeuvring speed it behaves like a traditional flying boat. As it picks up speed it becomes a high-speed hydrofoil, and then, as the speed increases, it lifts out of the water completely. It can fly at speeds up to of 180mph for 180 miles, carrying 3,500 lbs (1,600 kg) of cargo, or 12 passengers (+2 crew). Importantly, it is called a Ground Effect Vessel, not Vehicle, because it is classified as a maritime vessel, regulated by maritime authorities like the U.S. Coast Guard and operated under maritime law. Well, four years ago Brittany Ferries also signed an MoU with REGENT, with a view to operating them on the English Channel, and two months ago Hitrans, regional transport partnership for the Scottish Highlands and Islands, announced it too is exploring the potential for Seaglider operations in Scotland.