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
LIVE AT 2:30 MT Evacuation order issued for some Fort McMurray neighbourhoods as wildfire nears
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
BREAKING Toronto's top doctor Eileen de Villa announces resignation
Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health is stepping down.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
BREAKING Sask. man faces 60 charges in child exploitation investigation, with crimes dating back to 2005
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
American sought after 'So I raped you' Facebook message detained in France on 2021 warrant
An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, 'So I raped you,' has been detained in France after a three-year search.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.