UAE to license region's first electric cargo plane​

The UAE has approved a temporary licence for the first all-electric cargo plane in the region. The aircraft will run entirely on clean energy and have zero emissions.

This came as His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Taking to Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed said the move is an “important step that may contribute to changing the future of the shipping sector and its environmental impacts”.

The temporary licensing will help achieve the requirements of alternative and green energy, and reduce shipping costs for both suppliers and consumers.

Due to growing concerns about global climate change, the UAE and most of the other countries around the world are increasingly moving towards sustainable and eco-friendly transportation modes to achieve net zero emissions.

The aviation sector is also pushing towards more eco-friendly fuel and energy-efficient aircraft. Major aircraft manufacturers in the US and Europe are developing an all-electric plane and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

In August last year, DHL Express ordered 12 all-electric Alice eCargo aircraft from the US-based electric aircraft manufacturer Eviation. The single-pilot Alice eCargo plane can fly at 815km and 1,250kg capacity.

- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com