It’s little secret that Air New Zealand has its sights set on world domination … when it comes to building a sustainable fleet, that is.
The airline has today launched its Mission Next Generation Aircraft, with the lofty (but necessary) ambition of making zero emissions aircraft technology a reality in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The plan is to fly Air New Zealand’s first zero emissions commercial demonstrator flight by 2026 and to then replace its Q300 domestic fleet with more sustainable aircraft – likely using green hydrogen or battery hybrid systems – from 2030.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran is not shy about the airline’s goal to lead the world in introducing a more sustainable fleet.
“We have bold sustainability goals,” he said.
“Conventional business processes are not going to address the technology or infrastructure required to meet them.
“We want to lead the roll out of zero emission aircraft and will work alongside aircraft developers, innovators and infrastructure providers to give them the confidence they’re developing a product that’s a viable option for us.”
It’s a wicked problem to solve but we’re two feet in: Foran
According to Foran, by the end of the year, the airline is expected to sign letters of intent with partners it intends to work with to help achieve its goals, and over the next three years will be focused on supporting the construction, trials and certification of aircraft and associated infrastructure.
“We’re breaking new ground here,” he said.
“It’s not just the aircraft that needs to be developed, but also the infrastructure and regulation required to fly commercially.”
“We know these goals are ambitious, but ambition is exactly what is required to make this new technology a reality.”
The NZ advantage
New Zealand and Air New Zealand are ideally suited to lead the development of zero emissions aircraft deployment and the establishment of supporting infrastructure as the airline mainly operates short-range routes up and down the country, and New Zealand is largely built on renewable electricity generation, Foran said.
“It’s an ideal landscape to adopt zero emission aircraft.”
“But we can’t do it alone. It will take the minds of many within the industry to find the right solution. The technology is getting there, it just needs to be developed to a scale we can roll out across our network.”
Earlier this week, Air NZ resumed non-stop flights to Chicago.
Visit airnewzealand.com.au or its trade site for more.
