Harbour Air commits to buying 50 electric engines for seaplane fleet
Harbour Air is travelling towards a more sustainable future, looking to electrify its fleet of 45 aircraft.
The process began when one of the company's De Havilland Beaver aircraft took flight five years ago on an electric engine.
“We had our first maiden flight back in 2019,” said Jessica Dunn, head of marketing and public affairs with Harbour Air.
That plane, retrofitted to be 100 per cent electric, flew 72 kilometres from Richmond, B.C., to Victoria. The engine in the plane was produced by MagniX, an electric powertrain company based in Washington state.
“We have continued to work together in partnership and we’ve had 78 successful test flights,” said Dunn.
Harbour Air hopes to have that plane commercially certified by 2026.
Now the company has taken a huge next step in its electrification plan, signing a letter of intent to purchase 50 engines from MagniX. The plan is to begin to convert its 12 remaining Beaver aircraft starting in 2027.
Then the company will move on to the rest of the fleet. “Ultimately our big vision is to develop a sustainability aviation hub on the West Coast,” said Dunn.
The goal is to electrify third-party planes, whether for competing companies or private owners.
“Zero-emission obviously is the biggest driver in all of this,” said Riona Armesmith, chief technology officer at MagniX.
Armesmith says MagniX has outfitted a variety of different types of aircraft with electric engines since 2019, proving that a zero-emission aviation industry is not only achievable, but just around the corner.
“It’s not only technically viable but also commercially viable and it’s just been a great partnership,” said Armesmith.
Harbour Air is commonly known as a transportation company, moving people from point A to point B. The company says it’s more diversified than that.
“We have other parts of our business which is Harbour Air Aerospace,” said Dunn.
That division maintains not only Harbour Air’s planes but those of third parties as well.
The creation of the hub will mean Harbour Air Aerospace will be expanding its cope of services.
“I think there’s still some challenges within the industry,” said Dunn.
A labour shortage is potentially slowing down the industry's sustainable transition. Harbour Air says over the past two years, 17,000 aviation maintenance engineers have retired from the industry in Canada and schools are only graduating roughly 300 per year.
“If we can really close that gap, I think that will help us push forward faster,” said Dunn, transitioning not only Harbour Air’s fleet but an entire aviation industry in the Pacific Northwest, towards a greener and more sustainable future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
3 Indian nationals accused of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar facing court in B.C.
Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.
Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza's vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife's edge.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.