Air Canada says the aircraft will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and equipped with reserve-hybrid generators that can use sustainable aviation fuel.

Adapted from an Italian-made Tecnam P2006T twin-engine propeller plane, the X-57 has been under development since 2015 and remains at least a year away from its first test flight in the skies over Edward Air Force Base.

Commercial aviation is responsible for about two per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but there is a potential solution over the hazy horizon — electric aircraft.