As at 2024, aviation is responsible for approximately 2.5% of global CO2 emissions. While that figure may not seem critical, the aviation sector's true contribution to climate change is significantly higher. Indeed, the sector’s climate impact extends to several other types of emissions, causing its overall environmental impact to balloon (Arvidsson et al., 2024).
To mitigate these impacts, electric aviation (EA) has emerged as a promising alternative. The Nordic countries in particular aspire to lead the way in adoption of this new technology and have set ambitious targets for its implementation in the near future.
However, numerous open questions and challenges must still be addressed before electric aviation can become reality. Is the political commitment in the Nordic Region sufficient to support those initiatives? Where will the necessary funding come from? Are the required technological advancements and infrastructure in place?
Those are just a few of the key issues addressed in this policy brief, which is based on the outcomes of a stakeholder workshop held in June 2024 as part of the '
Electric Aviation and the Effects on the Nordic Region' project. The workshop was attended by seven participants, with all five Nordic countries represented. It focused on identifying the primary obstacles to implementing electric aviation and on exploring actionable solutions, with the main outcome being the creation of a policy roadmap outlining the critical steps required to make electric aviation reality in the coming years.