First electric aircraft completes domestic flight route from Sønderborg

Sønderborg Airport became the first airport in Denmark from which a 100% electric plane took off on a domestic flight route. The route went from Sønderborg to Copenhagen Airport.

SØNDERBORG, JULY 10, 2025: In her New Year’s speech on January 1, 2022, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Denmark must be able to offer the chance to fly green on a domestic flight route by 2025. “At the latest in 2025, Danes must have the possibility to fly green on a domestic flight route,” said the Prime Minister.

Now that promise is being fulfilled.

Beta Technologies’ electric plane, ALIA CTOL, became the first fully electric aircraft on a commercial domestic flight in Europe.

Tanja Have from GOTO Sønderborg calls the demonstration route an important step toward greener aviation in Denmark and Europe.

“We are proud that Sønderborg was chosen to show that Denmark and Europe are ready to take an important step toward flying green. You could feel the history being made when the plane took off, and I dare say the test confirms Sønderborg’s role as a global leader in energy efficiency and electrification,” says CEO of GOTO Sønderborg, Tanja Have.

“It is important for Sønderborg to lead the green transition. We already do that with ProjectZero, which since 2007 has reduced energy-related CO₂ emissions by 69% and is on track to make Sønderborg’s energy system climate neutral in 2029,” says Tanja Have.

The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Dr Fatih Birol, has named Sønderborg the Global Capital of Energy Efficiency, partly because one third of the CO₂ reductions achieved by ProjectZero come from energy efficiency and electrification.

According to the IEA, electricity must make up 50% of total energy consumption in 2050 to reach global climate neutrality.

Director of Sønderborg Airport, Jákup Sverri Kass, calls the groundbreaking route the beginning of a new chapter in sustainable aviation.

“It is a milestone for Sønderborg Airport that we became the first airport in Denmark from which a 100% electric plane took off. But the test is also groundbreaking for European aviation. I see it as the beginning of a new chapter for the green transition.”

Beta Technologies says ALIA VTOL emits about 84% less CO₂ than a traditional helicopter, which uses a combustion engine and fossil fuel. According to Beta Technologies, the ALIA CTOL — and its counterpart, the ALIA VTOL — provide a safe, quiet, sustainable, and low-cost alternative to traditional aircraft and helicopters, which use combustion engines and fossil fuel. The aircraft are designed for regional and urban flight, and can be configured for both passenger and cargo travel. Beta Technologies is currently manufacturing these aircraft at a factory located by its headquarters in Vermont, USA.