COMAC to build electric planes? This and much more...(The Allplane Newsletter #132)
Sustainable Aviation News
Electric Aviation
COMAC, China’s equivalent to Airbus or Boeing (sort of) is joining forces with the world leader in battery development, CATL, also from China to work on a future electric aircraft. Very interesting and potentially disruptive for the whole industry mid-term. As Cuberg’s Richard Wang said recently on our podcast “when CATL does something, you have to pay attention…” READ.
A post on Honeywell’s site explaining how electric aviation works. Corporate content, I know! but good to for a basic recap on this topic. READ.
Textron started wind tunnel texts of its future eVTOL, called Nexus. Textron has been investing in advanced air mobility recently and has grouped its electrically-powered aviation activities under its Textron eAviation division. READ.
An electric flight entrepreneur is planning an all-electric air race in an Australian island. READ.
Advanced Air Mobility
Step by step, the regulatory framework for advanced air mobility is getting clearer. The FAA issued some guidelines about how eVTOL operators could scale up operations from 2028 onwards. READ.
Overair shared a picture of its first prototype under construction.
Interesting interview with Zipline’s founder, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, on Guy Raz’s podcast (one of my favourite podcasts). Zipline operates drones to deliver medical supplies in several places around the world. LISTEN.
Lilium raised $192M of fresh capital. READ.
EVE announced the site of its first serial production line. READ.
Vertical Aerospace conducted the first “real” (untethered) flight test of its VX4 eVTOL. READ.
A South Korean music magnate has invested $23M in EHang. READ.
Hydrogen Aviation
Green energy entrepreneur and climate activist Dale Vince is preparing the launch of a new regional airline in the UK called Ecojet.
This new carrier (not yet in the 2023 new airline list, because its launch is expected to take place next year) will launch with conventionally powered aircraft, but the idea is to transition later to hydrogen (along the lines of the solution Cranfield Aerospace Solutions is developing for aircraft in this segment). READ.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
IAG, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, is investing in Nova Pangaea, a SAF producer that is building a plant in the Northeast of England to transform waste into SAF. The latest in a string of investments IAG has made in SAF projects. READ.
Virgin Atlantic announced the successful completion of ground tests for its upcoming 100% SAF Transatlantic flight come this November. Boeing and Rolls-Royce are partners of this project and Air BP and Virent are the fuel suppliers. READ.
Other sustainable aviation news
Some insights about Wizz Air’s sustainability strategy from Yvonne Moynihan, the airline’s corporate and ESG officer. READ.
What else in aviation?
Executive Spotlight interview with the CEO of Ukrainian airline SkyUp. An incredible story of resilience and optimism in the face of difficulty. READ.
New flight review: Air Serbia A320 economy class
New additions to both the 2023 new airline launch list and airline bankruptcy list.
A French château with a collection of 100 fighter jets.
Quite a lot of activity in Cabo Verde, a small archipelago off the coast of West Africa where a company of the Icelandair Group once tried to set up a base: its national airline got its first B737 MAX aircraft and the French group Vinci got a concession to manage the country’s airport network.
What is virtual interlining. Here’s a nice in-depth article on OAG’s website (or you can read this piece I wrote for TSI Magazine).
How does the experience to book a full airline itinerary through an AI tool looks like? Here’s a video of what its author claims is the first booking of this sort. WATCH.
(h/t to Mauricio Prieto for this one)
A stunningly beautiful ITA Airways A220. CHECK IT OUT HERE.
Northern Pacific Airways finally operated its first flight. Here are some pics of the first aircraft presentation, in early 2022.
A profile of PAL-V, an interesting (and somehow intriguing) Dutch “flying car” concept. READ.
Are you able to name the world’s top 20 airports of 2022? CHECK.
Pegasus, the second largest airline in Turkey and the largest private carrier, is getting an additional 36 Airbus A321neo aircraft, expanding its fleet to 150 by 2029. READ.