LONDON – Swedish electric airplane developer Heart Aerospace and Air New Zealand are partnering up to develop ANZ’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft. The initiative plans to find a sustainable eco-friendly replacement for the older Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 domestic fleet.
Mission Next Gen Aircraft
Air New Zealand’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft was created to accelerate the development of zero-emission aircraft technologies and the infrastructure required to make these dreams a reality for commercial use in New Zealand.
Air New Zealand had multiple contestants in the follow-up race, and Heart Aerospace was selected alongside Airbus, ATR, Embraer, and Universal Hydrogen.
One of the reasons Heart Aerospace was selected was because of already a long-term partner. Together they are going to work over the coming years to make flying these aircraft a reality.
“Air New Zealand is truly leading the way with its efforts to reduce emissions from air travel, and we are impressed by the diligence with which they approach this challenge.”
“We could not be prouder to have been selected as a long-term strategic partner on their journey towards net zero. At Heart Aerospace we say the real innovation is getting it done, and together we will,” said Anders Forslund, co-founder, and CEO of Heart Aerospace.
Air New Zealand’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiri Hannifin says “Air New Zealand has bold sustainability goals that won’t be met by a ‘business as usual’ approach.”
“Mission Next Gen Aircraft aims to accelerate the technology and infrastructure needed to decarbonize our domestic flights, by joining forces with the world’s leading aircraft developers, innovators, and infrastructure providers.”
“We want to be a leader in the rollout of zero-emissions aircraft in New Zealand. Having Heart Aerospace as one of our long-term partners will grow our collective understanding of zero emissions aircraft technology as it develops and will give them the confidence, they are developing a product that’s viable for us.”
Heart Aerospace ES-30
Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a regional electric airplane with a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers driven by electric motors with battery-derived energy.
The ES-30 will have a fully electric zero-emissions range of 200 kilometers, an extended range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers, and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers, all including typical airline reserves. Heart Aerospace expects to deliver its first ES-30 aircraft in 2028.
“We firmly believe that the collaborative approach is the only way to ensure we have a sustainable future for aviation,” said Simon Newitt, Chief Commercial Officer at Heart Aerospace.
“Together we will be able to bring an affordable, accessible, and responsible product to the flying public of New Zealand”.
Summary
Amongst the stakeholders and partnerships within the national flag carrier’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft project, regional aircraft manufacturer ATR has recently announced its collaboration to develop low emissions regionals.
ATR has launched a feasibility study on its ATR ‘EVO’ concept, demonstrating its ambition to continue to drive the future of the regional market towards net-zero carbon emissions.
This extended study will also include the investigation of alternative power sources like hydrogen fuel as well as the development of hybrid electric aircraft.
