Airships, Tesla, Starlink & more (The Allplane Newsletter #113)
First of all, I would like to wish a Happy New Year to all readers of this newsletter!
Coming back after the Christmas and New Year holiday hiatus with renewed energy and plenty of new stories!
Sustainable Aviation News
Electric Aviation
Is Tesla about to enter the electric aircraft race? Apparently it has filed a trademark to manufacture electric motors for vehicles other than cars. READ MORE.
Tesla or not, the Swedish government will be investing the equivalent of $1.5M per year in supporting the electric aviation industry. Doesn’t sound like a particularly large sum in the big scheme of things, but there is really one significant player in Sweden in this space.
Getting some of EU’s Next Generation funds to support green aviation would be an entirely different game and some lawmakers are working on it. READ.
Advanced Air Mobility
Archer deepens its partnership with carmaker Stellantis (the group that gathers the car brands formally known as Peugeot-Citroën, Fiat and Chrysler, among others). The automaker is going to be an exclusive contract manufacturer and is going to provide $150M in equity capital. READ MORE.
The connection between automakers and advanced air mobility startups is a topic I explored quite a few years ago in this piece for CNN.
Another automaker with an eye on advanced air mobility is Supernal (Hyunday Motor), which will cooperate with Microsoft. The software giant will develop AI applications, such as simulators, for this emerging market. READ MORE.
Interesting note about the expected costs for passengers of using advanced air mobility, with estimates ranging from $1 per passenger mile (Vertical Aerospace) to $3.30 (Archer). Uber X is used as a reference. Will see…(h/t to Paul Perera for this one). READ HERE.
Hydrogen Aviation
Interesting video posted by Paul Eremenko (founder, Universal Hydrogen) to visualize the logistics of hydrogen aviation. WATCH.
A look at how Airbus is researching hydrogen technology at a network of research centers scattered throughout Europe, its ZDECs (which stand for “Zero Emissions Development Centers”). READ MORE.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Brussels Airlines became the latest major airline to join the SAF wave, starting on the first day of the year with a consignment of fuel delivered to Zaventem airport via the NATO pipeline. READ MORE.
Other sustainable aviation news
Very critical assessment of the prospects of an airship comeback, by Lufthansa Innovation Hub. READ.
And for the opposite point of view, of course, our podcast episode with Hybrid Air Vehicles’ CEO, Tom Grundy!
What else in aviation?
In-depth analysis on Mauricio Prieto’s substack blog, the highly recommended Travel Tech Essentialist, about airline subscription products.
Here are some interesting nuggets: airlines go from “default-churn” to “default-retain”, making it possible for them to capture more”share of wallet” (also the average revenue from subscribers is x4 that from average travellers). The next challenge is to leverage the subscription platforms to bundle with non-air products.
A few developments in the IFE and connectivity space:
Delta will offer free wi-fi (at a cost of $1B), expecting to leverage the eye-balls to develop and distribute a whole range of services and experiences. READ.
airBaltic announced it will also offer free connectivity onboard its A220 fleet, through Elon Musk’s Starlink. READ THE DETAILS HERE.
How do you compare aircraft ownership and maintenance costs across airlines? Long but interesting read for anyone interested in analyzing airline financials. READ.
How a man in Oregon bought an old Boeing 727 for $100,000 and turned into his home. WATCH.
Interesting piece about the transformation of Fiji Airways, a small national airline in the South Pacific which has some really long haul routes. READ.
For more background info, here is our chronicle of the delivery of the first Fiji Airways A350 back in 2019!
I published an article on Transport Security International about the nuts and bolts of virtual interlining. READ IT HERE.
Last, but not least, I have started a regular collaboration with the great aviation site AeroTime News, where I would taking on editorial duties too.
Here is a selection of the latest stories I have published there this year:
If you have any ideas or topic suggestions that could be interesting to cover, please, do not hesitate to reach out!