Image: Electra
Helsinki is exploring whether a new type of small-scale air service could cut travel time between the Finnish capital and Estonian capital of Tallinn to less than an hour door to door.
The City of Helsinki has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with US hybrid-electric aircraft developer Electra and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences to assess the viability of a direct air connection across the Gulf of Finland.
“The cities are only 80 kilometers apart but today that journey involves significant friction whether you’re going through a ferry terminal or a traditional airport taking a minimum of two and a half hours door to door,” Diana Siegel, Vice President of Commercial Programmes at Electra, told Zag Daily.
Electra’s goal, Siegel said, is to determine whether its “direct aviation” model could cut total door-to-door travel time between the two cities to less than an hour.
Electra’s nine-seat EL9 is designed to operate from an area of just 45 metres, allowing the company to consider access points closer to urban centres. For Helsinki, the study will examine potential locations including the Hernesaari waterfront, floating sites near Lauttasaari, Hernesaari and Jätkäsaari and the Pasila transport hub.
That could allow passengers to avoid the ground journeys associated with conventional airports. Electra says its aircraft can use sites such as barges, parking lots and sports fields instead of runways.
The study will also test whether there is enough demand to support a commercial service. Siegel said Electra is not starting with a fixed passenger target or fare level and will instead examine demand, ticket prices, operating costs, aircraft utilisation and infrastructure costs.
“There are approximately 7.5 million passenger journeys between Helsinki and Tallinn each year so there is clearly a substantial market,” she said. “The question is how much of that demand could be attracted by a service that is significantly faster and more convenient.”
A scheduled passenger service is one model under consideration, although Electra said the study will decide on the operating and commercial model. The company is also looking at how demand could change by time of day, day of the week, season and ticket price.
The initial infrastructure work will focus on Helsinki. The city will identify candidate locations while Electra assesses what an ‘Ultra Short’ access point would require and how much it could cost. The Tallinn side is included in the wider study of the connection but there is no commitment to a specific site or infrastructure development there under the current MOU.
The partners expect to complete the feasibility study by the end of 2026. There is no predetermined decision to move directly into a demonstration, although Electra said it will explore the possibility of a future demonstration using its two-seat EL2 technology demonstrator, subject to approvals and further agreements.
