---
title: "New First: A Fully Electric Plane Just Flew for 15 Minutes"
description: "For the first time, a commercial airplane that’s powered entirely by electricity instead of gas successfully completed a test flight. The plane, a joint project between engineering firm magniX and the charter airline Harbour Air, took off from Vancouver and flew for 15 minutes straight, according to The Guardian. While there’s a lot […]"
date: "2019-12-11"
modified: "2019-12-11"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fully-electric-plane-flew-15-minutes"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
tags:
  - "electric plane"
  - "energy"
  - "the digest"
  - "transportation"
---

# New First: A Fully Electric Plane Just Flew for 15 Minutes

![The Canadian airline Harbour Air just successfully tested an electric plane for the first time, potentially marking a new era of clean travel.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/first-fully-electric-plane-flew-fifteen-minutes.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Courtesy of Harbour Air\</em\>*

## Electric, Flied

For the first time, a commercial aircraft powered entirely by electricity successfully completed a test flight.

The plane, a joint project between engineering firm magniX and charter airline Harbour Air, took off from Vancouver and flew 15 uninterrupted minutes, [according to *The Guardian*](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/11/worlds-first-fully-electric-commercial-aircraft-takes-flight-in-canada>). There's still plenty of work to be done [extending the range](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-electric-planes-hydrogen>) of electric aircraft, but this is a promising glimpse into the future of environmentally-friendly transportation.

## Plane Smart

Even a short-range electric plane would work well for Harbour Air, which shuttles tourists to nearby islands and other local landings on a fleet of low-capacity seaplanes. By electrifying its fleet, *The Guardian* reports, the company expects to save millions of dollars in fuel and upkeep.

"This proves that commercial aviation in all-electric form can work," magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski told *The Guardian*. "This signifies the start of the electric aviation age."

## Slow And Steady

The successful test flight has been a long time coming — engineers spent years working out the kinks of zero-emission air travel. This summer, Norway's state-owned aviation company Avinor [tested a plane](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/norways-electric-plane-crashed>) that crashed in a lake (but wouldn't disclose if the plane's battery-powered system was responsible).

Before this test, Ottawa transport minister Marc Garneau told *The Guardian* he had his "fingers crossed that the electric plane will work well."

"It could set a trend for more environmentally friendly flying," he added.

**READ MORE:** [World's first fully electric commercial aircraft takes flight in Canada](<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/11/worlds-first-fully-electric-commercial-aircraft-takes-flight-in-canada>) \[*The Guardian*\]

**More on air travel:** *[We've Never Been This Close to Making Electric Flight a Reality](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/close-electric-flight-reality>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)