Electra Signs MOU With the City of Helsinki For Ultra Short Aircraft Project
The City of Helsinki, Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences and aviation company Electra have signed a memorandum of understanding to examine the potential for direct air connections between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The cities are around 80 kilometres apart, with approximately 7.5 million passenger journeys made between them each year. Current travel options include ferry services that take around two hours, while air travel involves conventional airports and associated transfers and processing.
The study will investigate whether Electra’s Ultra Short aircraft could provide a more direct alternative by operating from smaller access points located closer to where passengers begin and end their journeys. Potential sites could include areas such as parking facilities, barges and other compact locations, rather than conventional airport runways.
Electra’s nine-passenger EL9 aircraft is designed to operate from areas requiring a take-off and landing distance of around 50 metres. The company is developing the concept around what it calls “Direct Aviation”, using smaller infrastructure to connect regional destinations without relying exclusively on established airports.
Under the agreement, the three partners will assess passenger demand, infrastructure requirements, operating economics and regulatory considerations. The work will also examine potential commercial and public-private partnership models for future services.
Haaga-Helia and the City of Helsinki will analyse existing travel patterns between the two cities, including ferry and air traffic, while assessing how demand could change depending on factors such as ticket prices, schedules and seasonal travel.
Electra will examine potential access-point designs for candidate locations identified by Helsinki, including high-level requirements and indicative costs.
The feasibility study is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Its findings will be used to develop a potential roadmap for Ultra Short infrastructure in Helsinki and assess possible commercial models for regional air services.
