SCIENCE - NORWAY'S ELECTRIC - SPECIAL : NET-ZERO EMISSIONS

ELECTRIFYING FLIGHTS in Norway. Capital of battery cars aims to expand green initiatives to air travel.

As the smooth white dragonfly of an aircraft flew over the Norwegian coastline, only a hum could be heard from its engine.

On its tail, a single propeller spun as it soared over fjords, forested hills and salmon farms in the North Sea.

Powered by electricity, the Alia CX300 passed lonely islands, the type of location that Norway hopes this plane could one day soon connect.

The test flight was the first time an electric plane had flown from one major city to another in Norway, showing that the Scandinavian country is eager to get on board with electric flight.

NORWAY'S ADOPTION OF electric vehicles has paved the way for electric air travel, analysts said.

To encourage consumers to go electric,  Norway's government has provided incentives that made the vehicles cheaper and offered benefits once they were on the road.

Market share of new electric vehicles rose from 54.3 percent in 2020 to record 88.9 percent in 2024, according to Norway's Electric Vehicle Association.

The ubiquity of chargers - more than 10,000  public chargers in a country of 5.5 million - not only gave drivers peace of mind but also created a new area of expertise that can be translated to air travel.

Within months of announcing the test flight,  Norway's airports authority built an electric charging station on the Stavanger airport.

The World Students Society thanks Lynsey Chutel and Henrik Pryser Libele, Niraj Chokshi and Jeffrey Gettleman.