Photo: Universal Hydrogen
The idea of brand-new aircraft replacing all of the old commercial fleets around the world sounds good, but it's still too far away. Until that becomes reality, we need to work with what we’ve got. And this means trying to find fast, affordable solutions that can make a difference today. One of them is to retrofit existing airliners with hydrogen conversion kits.
In 1940, a flying boat (Short S30) was operating between Auckland and Sydney. Decades later, Air New Zealand is ready to start writing another chapter in its pioneering history. It wants to fly only aircraft that can transport passengers not just comfortably and efficiently, but also without impacting the environment.
It’s taking a smart approach to that. Instead of choosing one path, it’s exploring a variety of alternatives to conventional flights, brought together under the name of “Mission Next Gen Aircraft.” One of these options is to convert some it existing aircraft to hydrogen propulsion.
At the moment, Air New Zealand boasts more than 100 operating aircraft for both passenger and commercial flights. The fleet includes Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320 airliners, and also smaller regional aircraft from ATR and Bombardier Aerospace De Havilland. Soon enough, some of these could be switching to hydrogen.
To do that, Air New Zealand is working with an expert in the field. Universal Hydrogen has developed a conversion kit and, most importantly, a hydrogen supply solution that claims to be truly innovative. That’s because it doesn’t need a dedicated type of infrastructure, which makes things more affordable and faster, too.
Sounds easy enough – existing regional aircraft are fitted with the new hydrogen propulsion system, then use this practical modular solution to get the fuel they need. In other words, hydrogen-powered commercial flights could be just around the corner. No need to wait for new types of aircraft specifically designed to run on hydrogen.
The U.S.-based startup is gearing up to demonstrate its technology on a De Havilland Dash 8-300 turboprop and an ATR 72 turboprop. ZeroAvia already proved that it’s possible, paving the way for similar conversion projects.
Although it’s just three-years-old, Universal Hydrogen has already convinced other airlines as well to try out its clever modular capsules for hydrogen supply. The largest one in the world, American Airlines, has invested in the startup. And it wasn’t the only big name to do so - Airbus Ventures and Toyota Ventures also joined the club.
The engineers at Universal Hydrogen believe that even the largest airliners today could benefit from this easy-to-implement technology and start running on this alternative fuel. That would truly be a drastic change for the better, without the costs of designing new aircraft from scratch. Until then, Air New Zealand is determined to try it out on its regional fleet.
It’s taking a smart approach to that. Instead of choosing one path, it’s exploring a variety of alternatives to conventional flights, brought together under the name of “Mission Next Gen Aircraft.” One of these options is to convert some it existing aircraft to hydrogen propulsion.
At the moment, Air New Zealand boasts more than 100 operating aircraft for both passenger and commercial flights. The fleet includes Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320 airliners, and also smaller regional aircraft from ATR and Bombardier Aerospace De Havilland. Soon enough, some of these could be switching to hydrogen.
To do that, Air New Zealand is working with an expert in the field. Universal Hydrogen has developed a conversion kit and, most importantly, a hydrogen supply solution that claims to be truly innovative. That’s because it doesn’t need a dedicated type of infrastructure, which makes things more affordable and faster, too.
Sounds easy enough – existing regional aircraft are fitted with the new hydrogen propulsion system, then use this practical modular solution to get the fuel they need. In other words, hydrogen-powered commercial flights could be just around the corner. No need to wait for new types of aircraft specifically designed to run on hydrogen.
The U.S.-based startup is gearing up to demonstrate its technology on a De Havilland Dash 8-300 turboprop and an ATR 72 turboprop. ZeroAvia already proved that it’s possible, paving the way for similar conversion projects.
Although it’s just three-years-old, Universal Hydrogen has already convinced other airlines as well to try out its clever modular capsules for hydrogen supply. The largest one in the world, American Airlines, has invested in the startup. And it wasn’t the only big name to do so - Airbus Ventures and Toyota Ventures also joined the club.
The engineers at Universal Hydrogen believe that even the largest airliners today could benefit from this easy-to-implement technology and start running on this alternative fuel. That would truly be a drastic change for the better, without the costs of designing new aircraft from scratch. Until then, Air New Zealand is determined to try it out on its regional fleet.
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