Socioeconomic impact assessment of hybrid-electric aircraft introduction in Swedish air traffic

Evangelia Maria Thoma and Xin Zhao

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2026, vol. 209, issue C

Abstract: In this study, the noise and emissions impact of introducing hybrid-electric aircraft into Sweden’s domestic air traffic is assessed. As a case study, Stockholm Arlanda Airport is used, and, one baseline scenario for 2024, one intermediate scenario at 2035, and two development scenarios towards 2050 for the fleet and air traffic are presented. The results show that while hybrid-electric aircraft could potentially reduce noise emissions at the single event level, the increased flight frequency leads to larger cumulative noise areas. Although the noise affected areas are not directly proportional to the number of people affected by the noise due to the low population density surrounding the studied airport, a monetary assessment based on noise related health cost tables from three authorities indicates that the total noise related health cost with the hybrid-electric aircraft in the air traffic network is similar to that of a fleet composed of modern turbofan and turboprop aircraft. While the assessment is sensitive to the operational aspects of air traffic, the use of two historical runway usage data results in a consistent conclusion in total noise related health cost along with quite different noise footprint patterns. In terms of CO2 emissions, the introduction of the target hybrid-electric aircraft into the domestic air traffic network could potentially reduce the emissions by 33%. The combined socioeconomic cost-benefit analysis reveals that the increased noise-related cost at scenario level will dominate the concern around local communities when the near-airport aircraft operations can be emissions-free from full electric landings and take-offs. For the studied case, the noise issue could result in a total health cost increase of 33−87% from scenario 2024 to 2050, depending on the authority-specific cost tables applied.

Keywords: Hybrid-electric aircraft; Noise impact; Emissions reduction; Cost-benefit analysis; Air traffic modelling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2026.105022

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