The short test flight by Harbour Air and magniX involved a six-passenger aircraft fitted with an electric motor.

The companies said it was a first step to building the “world’s first all-electric commercial fleet”.

The push to electric could help slash carbon emissions in the high-polluting aviation sector.

“This historic flight signifies the start of the third era in aviation – the electric age,” Harbour Air and magniX said in a statement.

The flight involved a six-passenger DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver with a 750-horsepower (560 kW) magni500 propulsion system.

Launched at the Paris Air Show earlier this year, Australian company magniX said its propulsion system aims to provide a “clean and efficient way to power airplanes”.
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