Pipistrel Velis Elektro Tour 2025
Pipistrel Velis Electricity revolutionising the skies as it marks first-ever crossing of the English Channel with a 100 per cent electric certified aircraft.
The Elektro Tour, which departed from Lyon-Bron Airport in France on Tuesday 1 July is due to land at London Gatwick on Tuesday 8 July. The tour will conclude in Annecy on 25 July.
Small airports key to sustainable aviation
The flight marks the first time a 100 per cent electric, certified aircraft has crossed the English Channel. Nine Vinci Airports are involved in supporting the 1500nm (2800km) tour on the ground. The airports include Lyon-Bron, London Gatwick, Rennes Bretagne, Saint-Nazaire Montoir, Nantes Atlantique, Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne, Grenoble Alpes Isère, Chambéry Savoie Mont Blanc and Annecy Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc.
The tour underpins the value of small airports and airfields in serving as testbeds for advancing electric flight.
The Elektro Tour route
Having departed from Lyon Bron on the 1 July, the tour will see the aircraft fly to London Gatwick, before returning back across the Channel to Rennes ,flying down the West coast of France before heading inland to Clermont Ferrand, across to Grenoble and Chambery in the Alps, before flying the final leg to Annecy.
The total flight time is expected to be around 50 hours. Current European regulations stipulate that aircraft must have at least 30 minutes of endurance during cross-country flights. The main challenge for the Elektro Tour team was to design a route that met that requirement.
The tour is aligned with the French airport operator’s mission to decarbonise its own operations (scope 1 and 2) as well as contributing to reducing emissions from across the airport ecosystem, but which are not in an airport’s direct control (scope 3).
What is the Pipistrel Velis?
Paving the way for the decarbonisation of the general aviation fleet and designed for flying schools and flight schools, the two-seater Velis Electro was certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2020. It has a total battery weight of 140kgs and a charging time ranging from 45 minutes to eight hours for a full charge. The maximum take-off weight is 600kgs and it has an average flight time of 50 minutes (including safety reserves). The 100 per cent electric aircraft boasts no CO2 emissions during operation, as well as an 80 per cent reduction in noise emissions compared to a thermal aircraft of similar performance.
A team of four male and female pilots aged 17 to 23 have been tasked with flying the aircraft on its 2025 tour.
