The Companies Will Work Together To Bring New Forms Of Air Travel To Market

Air New Zealand and Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on a study to explore the potential for hydrogen-powered aircraft operations. 

Following the terms of  the agreement, Air New Zealand will examine the reactions hydrogen-powered aircraft may have on its network, operations and infrastructure. Meanwhile, Airbus will share expected aircraft  performance and ground operations characteristics to support Air New Zealand in its decarbonisation roadmap.           

Looking forward to how hydrogen-powered aircraft could become reality in New Zealand, Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran looks forward to this exciting step in the process.

“This agreement brings us a step closer to our net zero emissions by 2050 commitment and to realising our aspiration to put low carbon solutions in place for our shorter domestic and regional flights. New Zealand has a unique opportunity to be a world leader in the adoption of zero emissions aircraft, given the country’s commitment to renewable energy which can be used to generate green hydrogen and our highly connected regional air network,” said Foran.

“We’ll be working closely with Airbus to understand opportunities and challenges, including achievable flying range and what ground infrastructure or logistics changes may be required to implement this technology in New Zealand,” said Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan.

Airbus Asia-Pacific President Anand Stanley contributes his thoughts on the collaboration, “This agreement with Air New Zealand will provide us with important insights about how we could put a zero-emission aircraft into service. The joint study will enable us to gain invaluable feedback on what airlines will expect and their preferences in terms of configuration and performance,” added Stanley.

Airbus is studying three concepts for hydrogen-powered aircraft, including a turboprop, turbofan and blended wing option. The company looks forward to bringing a hydrogen-powered aircraft to the market by 2035.

FMI: https://www.airnewzealand.com, https://www.airbus.com