Every minute, 84 flights take off worldwide. Last year, more than 4 billion journeys were made by plane.

Air travel underpins trade, tourism and economic growth, but it is also a major contributor to climate change.

So what about catching an electric plane? Let us introduce you to Alice – a prototype unveiled at this year’s Paris Air Show. Planes like this could be the future of short-haul flights.

Eviation wants to make electric aviation a feasible proposition, but the technology does currently have limitations. While the flight range of aircraft such as Alice would make them viable for use on short-haul routes, that’s not the case for long-haul.

Around 80% of aviation’s CO2 emissions come from flights of over 1,500km (932 miles), according to the Air Transport Action Group.

The challenges of electric flight are also on the agenda of mainstream manufacturers. Boeing launched a prototype earlier this year, and last year Airbus, Siemens and Rolls-Royce unveiled a project to develop a hybrid-electric propulsion system.

Meanwhile, US regional airline Cape Air has already expressed an interest in the all-electric Alice, saying it will order a “double-digit” number of the aircraft to operate on some of its short routes. The aircraft is expected to take to the skies in 2022.