The UK's first electric commuter flight is to take off from Exeter Airport, after it was chosen as a testing site for the shift towards greener aviation.

A programme has been launched to explore whether hybrid-electric aircraft can be used within the existing aviation system, in what's being described as 'a huge step towards transforming the future of air travel'.

The planes will be taking off from Exeter and flying to Newquay Airport, to demonstrate the effective use of hybrid-electric aircraft on regional routes in the South West.

The first hybrid-electric flight is due to take place this summer, with the first all-electric flight taking off next year.

The announcement follows a successful bid by a consortium for £2.4 million from the UK Research and Innovation's £30 million Future Flight Challenge, to carry out the Towards Zero Emissions in Regional Aircraft Operations programme – known as 2ZERO.

The consortium is led by Ampaire, a maker of hybrid-electric aircraft, with partners including Exeter and Newquay airports, Rolls Royce Electrical, the University of Nottingham, the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, UK Power Network Services and Loganair.

The consortium says the use of hybrid-electric planes would reduce carbon emissions by up to 70 per cent, with the next stage being zero-emission all-electric aircraft.

The test programme was launched in December and will run until May 2022. No date has been given for the first hybrid-electric passenger flight.

'This project really puts us on the map'

The news that Exeter Airport will be playing such a key role in the programme has been welcomed by the leader of East Devon District Council, Cllr Paul Arnott.

He said: "The airport has probably seen the heaviest impact from the pandemic of any business in East Devon.

"We are keen to support a green recovery rather than just a return to business as usual, and today's announcement is a really important step towards this.

"It will ensure that the airport can act as a test bed for new technologies including electric flight, and can play a leading role in helping to meet the global challenge of decarbonising the aviation industry.

"This fits very well with the emphasis already placed on science, technology and engineering in the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone."

Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Regional & City Airports, the owners of Exeter Airport, said: "Our 2ZERO programme is incredibly exciting for us and the South West region. Exeter is an important regional airport and this project really puts us on the map as a forward-looking airport and demonstrates our commitment, along with our partners, to making the future of aviation a sustainable one."

Karl Tucker, chair of Heart of the SW LEP, said: "We're delighted to be part of this successful consortium bid to UKRI. The South West has so much to offer, including boasting the most highly skilled workforce in the aerospace sector and our smart aviation cluster. This programme is a huge step forwards in transforming the future of air travel and helping the UK to achieve its target of net carbon flights by 2050."

Susan Ying, Ampaire Senior Vice President for Global Partnerships, said: "For electric aviation to become commonplace, and play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gases, we need to look at not only electric aircraft but the entire ecosystem to support electric aviation. That will be a key aim of the 2ZERO programme."

The demonstration flights will be carried out using Ampaire's six-seat Electric EEL aircraft and, in a later phase, with a 19-seat Eco Otter, a hybrid-electric retrofit of the workhorse Twin Otter commuter aircraft.

These demonstration flights will help to shape regulations and standards which currently have gaps for these new classes of aircraft and airport operations.