Air New Zealand's new battery-powered plane won't carry any passengers.

The airline's bought an electric Alia aircraft, which is expected to join the fleet from 2026.

The aircraft weighs three tonnes and its battery takes about an hour to charge.

Chief sustainability officer Kiri Hannifin says they'll fly Alia on routes of about 150km and it'll be cargo only.

"We just want to do smaller routes- this is all a big learning exercise for us, so we're going to keep it small to start with."

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