Amid a broader ongoing push to embrace new technology in the aviation sector, one of the key operators at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is starting to get ready to accommodate electric aircraft.
During a news conference Monday morning, officials showcased an electric example of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft by U.S.-headquartered Beta Technologies.
The ALIA COTL airplane, which can hold five passengers and has 200 cubic feet of cargo space, has a range of 336 nautical miles and a top speed of 153 knots. The company said it takes less than an hour to charge. The ALIA VOTL, the company’s other model, has similar specifications, but it has the capability of taking off vertically in addition to conventional takeoffs.
Stolport, the company responsible for airside and groundside services at the downtown Toronto airport, also displayed a minicube charger from Beta. The charger will allow Stolport to power electric aircraft and ground vehicles.
“We’re proud to invest in smart infrastructure that enables the economic development of sustainable aviation. It’s about today and tomorrow,” Stolport CEO Nicolas Pappalardo told dignitaries.
“By investing early and building flexible infrastructure … we are saying that we are serious, that we want to be included in your electric flight plans as a green landing destination of the next generation.”
Pappalardo said since Toronto is within range of the company’s office in Burlington, Vermont, and its charging network, the airport fits with Beta’s current aircraft certification process.
Backers of Beta’s electric aircraft tout the technology as being more environmentally friendly, lower cost (US$18 an hour in energy cost to operate versus US$347 for a Cessna 208) and an efficient alternative, arguing it can increase usage in the medical, e-commerce and cargo sectors.
However, uptake by major passenger aviation companies in Canada still isn’t a reality. Porter and Air Canada, two of the country’s biggest carriers that have a presence at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, do not currently use electric aircraft.
Warren Askew, a vice-president of PortsToronto — the entity that owns Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, said the industry is starting to shift. He added AAM aircraft are better for shorter routes, something he called the airport’s “sweet spot.”
“Many thought that we were very far from seeing this innovation in aviation for a variety of reasons, but here we are, it’s begun, and in a limited way, it’s proof electric aviation is possible,” he said
“It’s not that far from being used on a broad scale.”
Askew said ongoing conversations about an updated, tripartite governance agreement with the City of Toronto and Transport Canada will also include a focus on allowing electric aircraft. Last year, a move to extend the lease for Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport made headlines amid talks of building new federally mandated safety buffer zones for the runway.
