ELIS becomes Arctic Aviation Hub - Strengthened Focus on Sustainable Aviation

Skellefteå Airport

Electric aviation

22 Jan 2025

The development program ELIS has focused on advancing electrified aviation in Skellefteå. Now, additional investments are being made for the future of sustainable aviation, including drones, hydrogen and high-power charging, with the goal of reaching an international audience. As part of this, ELIS is changing its name to Arctic Aviation Hub.

For the past four years, ELIS (Electrified Aviation in Skellefteå) has been a development program focused on establishing a testbed for electrified aviation, accelerating commercialization, and fostering collaboration among industry stakeholders. With continued support from Skellefteå Municipality, Skellefteå Airport and Skellefteå Kraft and under the leadership of Skellefteå Science City, resources are being strengthened while the initiative transitions to Arctic Aviation Hub.

A Hub for Arctic Testing and Innovation

“The name Arctic Aviation Hub reflects both the international target audience and Skellefteå’s position as a hub for electrified aviation in the Nordic region. Testing and developing aircraft and technologies in Arctic conditions is a central part of our work,” says Henrik Littorin, Program Manager at Arctic Aviation Hub.

One of the major milestones of the development program is the establishment of one of the world’s most powerful electric supply systems for charging larger electric aircraft at Skellefteå Airport. This has enabled research and development projects and paved the way for the establishment of Green Flight Academy, one of the world’s most sustainable pilot academies, which includes three electric aircraft in its fleet. The work within Arctic Aviation Hub now also includes drones, hydrogen and high-power charging.

“We look forward to run more exciting collaborative projects in the coming years. Arctic Aviation Hub has already facilitated projects worth around 30 million SEK and more projects are on the way,” says Robert Lindberg, CEO of Skellefteå Airport.

Three Nodes for Innovation

Arctic Aviation Hub continues to expand and will operate at three locations:

Skellefteå Airport for testing, research and commercialization of battery and hydrogen powered aviation, including supporting infrastructure for charging and hydrogen.

Skellefteå Droneport for drone development, which will open this winter and become one of Europe’s larger urban droneports. There is a need to test drones in harsh weather conditions and in areas where they can be developed in collaboration with users in real urban environments.

Campus Skellefteå, which hosts Skellefteå Science City, Luleå University of Technology, Arctic Center of Energy and the Skellefteå Universities Alliance.

“Skellefteå Science City is truly excited to continue leading the daily operations within Arctic Aviation Hub and, in doing so, contribute to even more collaboration within the innovation system necessary for the commercialization of future transportation solutions,” says Anna Mård, CEO of Skellefteå Science City.

Transportation of People and Goods

Arctic Aviation Hub is also working on setting up one of Europe’s first system demonstrators* for hydrogen powered aviation and will follow the development of the sustainable aviation fuel plant that Skellefteå Kraft and SkyNRG are planning in Skellefteå.

“Skellefteå has a great need for an expanded labor market region and improved accessibility, particularly to and from other locations in northern Sweden and Finland. We want to implement community-beneficial solutions with low climate impact for the transport of both people and goods as soon as possible. Additionally, drones open up several other interesting, community-beneficial solutions related to the smart city of the future,” says David Lidström, Head of the International Unit at Skellefteå Municipality.

Arctic Aviation Hub is currently involved in two multi-year research projects in collaboration with Uppsala University and Luleå University of Technology. These projects focus on leading research on the impact of electric aviation on power supply, competence needs, new economic models and managing of electromagnetic interference in airport environments.

Skellefteå’s Global Innovation Arena

In 2026, Skellefteå will host Society Expo 2026 (SE26), a global event aimed at finding solutions to society’s major challenges. Through collaboration with various stakeholders, ideas in areas such as social sustainability, skills provision, mobility, housing supply and climate and environment will be tested and developed. SE26 will serve as a model for other regions and Arctic Aviation Hub will play a key role in showcasing sustainable airborne mobility solutions.

“The transformation of aviation means new business models and opportunities related to high-power charging and hydrogen. These are two areas where Skellefteå Kraft wants to be at the forefront and drive development,” says Conny Reidefors, Business Development Manager at Skellefteå Kraft.

* A system demonstrator is a prototype or test system used to demonstrate how a new technology, product, or solution works in practice. It is a way to test and showcase the system’s functionality, performance, and integration before it is commercially used or scaled up.

Arctic Aviation Hub

Arctic Aviation Hub is a development program focused on running progress and innovation in electrified and sustainable aviation. With the ambition to become a leading hub for research, testing, development, and commercialization of electric solutions for aviation, the program contributes to shaping the future sustainable aviation sector in Sweden and internationally. The program is coordinated by Skellefteå Science City and is funded by Skellefteå Kraft, Skellefteå Airport, and Skellefteå Municipality.

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