The airline, which has formed a partnership with Wright Electric, has already built a two-seater prototype and is working on creating a fully electric plane, with capacities from 120 passengers upwards.

EasyJet said the electrically powered planes would be able to cover popular short-haul routes such as London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Glasgow and Edinburgh, according to the BBC.

Carolyn McCall, chief executive of easyJet, said the aerospace industry would follow the lead of the automotive industry in developing electric engines that would cut emissions and noise.

Wright Electric, which is also working with several other airlines around the world, claims electric planes will be “50% quieter and 10% cheaper for airlines to buy and operate”.

McCall said: “For the first time in my career I can envisage a future without jet fuel and we are excited to be part of it. It is now more a matter of when, not if, a short-haul electric plane will fly.”

Peter Duffy, chief commercial officer at easyJet, added that the partnership would help Wright Electric “understand what was required to make planes commercially successful”.

He said: “You’re seeing cities and countries starting to talk about banning diesel combustion engines. That would have been unthinkable just a short time ago.

“As technology moves on attitudes shift, ambitions change and you see opportunities you didn’t see. This is genuinely exciting.”