Recently, futuristic-looking flying cars have arrived on the scene, sparking some discussion about how Utah skies could soon look like a scene from “The Jetsons,” with people flying their own air vehicle, so to speak. But, in Hawaii, a form of air travel is even closer to fruition, just with a different power source.
Surf Air Mobility, the parent company of Mokulele Airlines in Hawaii, says the state has enough demand for short flights from island to island, making fully electric flights a possibility.
“We’re essentially nine months away from testing an electric cargo plane, and then from there, we’re hopefully a year and a half away from flying passengers on the plane,” Surf Air Mobility President Louis Saint-Cyr told SFGATE.
Electric island hopping
With average flights of 51 miles and flights lasting just 15-30 minutes, Mokulele Airlines serves nine airports with 10 routes. In 2025, the airline flew 224,000 passengers over 36,000 flights, generally carrying nine passengers each flight.
Cargo operations are planned to begin first, and then once certifications are finished, passenger service will begin. If successful, Hawaii could be among the first scheduled commercial electric services in the U.S., SFGATE reports.
Saint-Cyr said the announcement makes the company the first in line to use electric cargo planes in the country. “As an airline, we are positioning ourselves to be the first mover in this space,” he said.
The planes will assist Hawaii in its goal to completely eliminate emissions in the state’s public transportation by 2045, he said.
On top of cleaner air, Saint-Cyr said the new planes will reduce costs and noise, while increasing reliability and safety. “Think of this plane as your electric car,” he told SFGATE. “Electric cars need less maintenance than conventional cars. Electric cars have less parts, and less parts means there’s less chances of breaking down.”
History like Promontory Point
In Utah, Rep. Mike Kennedy and Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras were closing panelists on Tuesday for Project Alta Summit, a gathering hosted by aerospace and industry group 47G, a Utah network of more than 200 members and several academic institutions.
Its purpose: accelerate advanced air mobility, as the Deseret News’ Jason Swensen wrote.
Kennedy thought back on the transcontinental railroad and the revolutionary change it brought to the U.S. when the final spike was driven through in Utah, connecting the Midwest to the Pacific Coast.
He suggested history may be made in Utah once again.
In March, the Utah Department of Transportation announced the state was selected to lead a federal pilot program, testing the newest electric aircrafts.
Aaron Starks, CEO of 47G, said the announcement means “Utah’s arrived.”
“Now we have permission to build — and I’m really excited because we’re only one of seven states allowed to do that,” he said. “There’s a lot of fun things to look forward to for the state of Utah.”
Many of the transportation innovations will feature the ability to lift off the ground and land directly, eliminating the need for runways. The electric vehicles could lead to autonomous drivers and taxi systems in Utah and the rest of the country.
Safety concerns
When asked what his biggest question was, Kennedy answered, “The biggest question I have is safety. If I’m on an autonomous device up in the air and somebody wants to terminate my life, how do they?
“What is the built-in safety that is going to ensure that I could get from Point A to Point B without someone interrupting that signal?”
Braceras acknowledged safety concerns and agreed they need to improve, but he also cautioned not to get caught up in perfection.
“Don’t let ‘perfect’ be our enemy on this, because otherwise we’re going to wait forever to be able to move forward,” he said. “If we’re overdone on making it perfect, we may find that not only are we not going to ever develop it here in the country, but our international adversaries like China are going to dominate us in this space.
“That’s not going to be good for our national security, long-term.”
Potential solution
It could be a future solution to the challenges similar to what airlines are currently facing with the Strait of Hormuz being closed, which is an important passage for oil and gas. With fears of flights being canceled and flight ticket prices increasing dramatically, The New York Times highlighted the potential for emissions to be cut tremendously.
But the industry has not been hit as hard as many thought it would, thanks to U.S. and West Africa oil exporters increasing production of jet fuel.
However, Rystad Energy warns that if the Strait remains closed until mid-June, jet fuel demand could fall due to pricing, notwithstanding plans to fly 3 million more passengers this summer than last, the Times reports.
As of right now, electric planes are not advanced enough to carry large numbers of passengers over hundreds of miles like a Boeing 737 can, but recent milestones seem to leave the door open to the possibility of flights remaining constant even when fuel is low, decreasing emissions at the same time.
Currently, air travel is responsible for 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which may dip should electric flights take hold as autonomous, taxi or short airline flights. United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Alaska Airlines number the list of airlines leading the charge in cleaner aviation transportation.
