Scottish airline Ecojet Airlines has entered voluntary liquidation following a failed bid to boost £20million, with deliberate all-electric flights by no means taking off
(Image: EcoJet)
A British airline has collapsed into liquidation following a reported try to boost £20million.
Scottish firm Ecojet Airlines had been promoted because the world’s first all-electric airline, based in 2023 by businessman Dale Vince, a well known Labour donor and proprietor of Forest Green Rovers soccer membership.
The airline had formidable plans for long-haul flights and European routes, with an preliminary service between Edinburgh and Southampton pencilled in.
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However, a petition was dropped at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for the enterprise to be wound up and joint interim liquidators appointed, in line with paperwork from the tip of January.
At the time of the launch, Mr Vince declared: “This is a vital frontier in the move to net zero, green living, whatever you choose to call it – and it’s absolutely doable. It’s a matter of when, not if.”
The Herald studies that Paul Dounis and Mark Harper, of Opus Restructuring, have been named as provisional liquidators. Opus confirmed the transfer adopted a “voluntary liquidation initiated by the company’s board”, studies the Mirror.
It added: “Ecojet was a start-up business and has no material assets. The members have elected to fund the liquidation process to ensure that the company’s employees receive their full statutory entitlements.”
Ecotricity had proclaimed on its web site on the time of the launch: “The move marks the beginning of an aviation revolution by making net-zero, emission-free air travel possible for the first time.
“Ecojet’s fleet will comprise standard planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains. Once transformed, the plane will function with the identical energy output as before, however with a 100% discount in CO2 emissions.
“The decision to repurpose old planes rather than build new models from scratch will save 90,000 tonnes of carbon per year. The only byproduct will be water, which can be captured and released into the lower atmosphere to avoid the harmful effects of contrails.”
