Swiss WorldCargo transports e-Sling electric aircraft parts from Joburg to Zurich

December 03, 2020: In the end of November, Swiss WorldCargo flew special cargo onboard a B777-300ER from Johannesburg to Zurich, which consisted of individual parts that will be used to build the world's first four-seater electric aircraft with a modular battery system.

e-Sling, a focus project of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), received the shipment in Zurich. This special ETH project, launched in September 2020 and scheduled to run until May 2021, will see the development and assembly of an adapted electric aircraft. The aircraft is based on the South African Sling TSi model, and has a span width of 10.5 metres. It will operate using a modular battery system as well as an electric motor, and is expected to fly up to 250 kilometres in distance at a speed of up to 160 kilometres/hour.

The e-Sling team consists of twelve electrical and mechanical engineers, who are focused on the assembly and launch of the aforementioned sustainable electric aircraft, which, once completed, can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The engineers are ETH students, who are interested in being part of the development of this next-generation airplane model.

Initially, an analysis was conducted in order to assess how to load the largest parts into the cargo hold of our aircraft, as well as where in the cargo hold they would be best positioned. Ahead of the journey, this necessitated close contact with both e-Sling and Swissport, Swiss WorldCargo's ramp handling partners in Johannesburg and South Africa, responsible for the loading and unloading of individual parts onto the aircraft.