The British airline has collapsed into liquidation and ceased all operations.
Once hailed as “the world’s first electric airline”, a UK airline has entered liquidation just three years after it was founded. The Scottish airline Ecojets launched in Edinburgh in 2023 and has had provisional liquidators appointed following efforts to secure £20 million in new investment. The airline was established by green energy entrepreneur Dale Vince, founder of renewable energy firm Ecotricity and a major donor to the Labour Party.
Mr Vince said: “We remain committed to electrifying all forms of transport – aviation is the last frontier and the hardest. It’s taking longer than we hoped to get the technology and regulatory pieces of the puzzle in alignment, and so we’re pausing work at this time.”
The airline was launched in 2023 by green entrepreneur Dale Vince. (Image: Getty)
He added: “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.”
Court papers show a petition was presented to Edinburgh Sheriff Court requesting that EcoJet Airlines Limited be wound up, with joint interim liquidators appointed.
Paul Dounis and Mark Harper, of Opus Restructuring, were appointed provisional liquidators. Opus said the move comes following a “voluntary liquidation initiated by the company’s board”, The Herald reported.
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.”
The airline has ceased all operations. (Image: Ecojet)
At launch, EcoJet branded itself as “the airline for a Green Britain”, saying its plans represented the beginning of an “aviation revolution” that could make net-zero, emissions-free air travel a reality for the first time.
The airline planned to operate charter flights between Southampton and Edinburgh, using planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric engines.
It added: “EcoJet’s fleet will comprise conventional planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains. Once converted, the aircraft will operate with the same power output as before, while reducing CO2 emissions by 100%.
“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.”
