Finland welcomes first certified electric plane to cross open sea

A certified electric aircraft capable of crossing open sea landed at Vaasa Airport on Tuesday, marking the first such flight of its kind.

The Elektra Trainer, part of Oulu University of Applied Sciences’ North Circuit tour, took off from Umeå in Sweden before touching down in Finland. The tour, believed to be the first in which a certified electric plane crosses open sea, began last week in Bavaria, Germany, and will continue through the Baltic states before returning to Central Europe.

The flight demonstrates that electric aviation can handle long distances and varying northern conditions, according to organizers. The plane, flown by 77-year-old test pilot Uwe Nortmann of manufacturer Elektra Solar, completed the Gulf of Bothnia crossing more smoothly and quickly than expected.

However, the journey was not without delays. A thunderstorm in Storvik, Sweden, grounded the plane last Sunday after a lightning strike damaged its charging system. A replacement part was flown in from Germany, allowing the tour to resume Monday toward Umeå before reaching Vaasa on Tuesday, a few hours behind schedule.

Oulu University of Applied Sciences, which has ordered its own electric plane for research, is using the tour to study charging infrastructure and long-distance electric flight operations. The Elektra Trainer, designed as an electric aircraft from the outset, consumes less than half the energy of a conventional plane and can fly for 2.5 hours on a full charge, with a range of 300 km.

Researchers say electric planes could revitalize smaller Finnish airports and boost domestic cross-country travel, though wider adoption depends on longer-range certification and expanded charging networks.