Salina Airport will be testing ground for new electric aircraft

SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Salina Regional Airport will be the flight testing ground for a new electric aircraft from Textron.

The company has been developing the fully electric eVTOL aircraft. The plane is designed for various purposes, including air taxi, air ambulance, and cargo shipping.

In a news release, Textron says Salina was chosen because of their work with drone technology and Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) operations under the Federal Aviation Administration’s Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and Beyond programs. The airport is also home to Kansas State University’s Applied Aviation Research Center, which has been working on cutting-edge UAS technology.

The program will begin once simulations and initial design testing are completed at Wichita’s NIAR .

“We are thrilled to partner with Textron eAviation on this exciting project,” said Pieter Miller, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority. “Salina Regional Airport has a longstanding tradition of supporting aviation innovation, and we look forward to contributing to the success of the Nexus eVTOL program.”

“Kansas boasts a rich aviation history, and we’re proud to work alongside the Salina Airport Authority to test these emerging technologies so close to home,” said Kriya Shortt, President & CEO of Textron eAviation. “The support and facilities provided by the Salina Airport Authority are vital as we advance towards bringing the Nexus eVTOL to market.”

The electric aircraft industry is projected to be a $1.5 trillion industry by 2050 .

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