LUCY is a new Dutch airline that aspires to offer a sustainable and affordable option to (business) travelers for flights within Europe. The aircraft with which LUCY will fly are quiet and virtually emission-free. With this, LUCY meets the future requirements and wishes of the government and society, but also meets the growing demand of business travelers for faster connections. LUCY's electric aircraft can land at smaller airports than at present, putting dozens of new destinations within reach and making electric flight a faster and sustainable alternative to ground transportation. The plan is to start with a hybrid electric aircraft and, in the future, an all-electric variant.
Thijs Bosgoed, co-founder LUCY: "Twente Airport is the ideal place for us to set up the regional network for electric flying. The whole of the Netherlands can be served from Twente, but due to its location close to the German border, a large part of Germany can also be reached by electric aircraft. Twente Airport also offers sufficient space and facilities to extensively test our aircraft and procedures at an early stage."
Gerben Groothuis, eFlight Business Development Manager at Twente Airport: "We have the ambition to be a breeding ground for sustainable aviation. Twente Airport is an airport with relatively quiet airspace, a long and well-maintained runway and has existing facilities, which enable the handling of flights with LUCY aircraft. By offering flights with quiet, emission-free aircraft, the Twente region will be further opened up and we will gain a regular user."
Development company Oost NL stimulates the development of sustainable aviation and brought the parties together. Robbert Jan Kooij, project manager at Oost NL: "Electric flying contributes to a better connection of the eastern Netherlands with other provinces and the border areas. The regional business community also sees opportunities for applying sustainable materials and high-tech systems to make this new form of mobility possible."
Within the cooperation, Twente Airport is assisting LUCY in (out) developing the procedures to handle flights safely and easily. The parties are also working together in establishing contacts with companies in the Twente region to generate interest in this new sustainable form of travel.
