Farnborough International Airshow 2024: Sustainability steals the limelight on day three
With a lull in big aircraft orders on day three of Farnborough International Airshow, came the opportunity to shine the spotlight on some of the hall exhibitors and how they are working towards more sustainable flight.
On a mission to transform regional connectivity, ZeroAvia and KLM announced an exciting new partnership as they work towards a demonstration flight using ZeroAvia’s ZA2000 zero-emission hydrogen-electric engines for large regional turboprops.
A primary target for the project is to identify the optimal airport pair to conduct an initial A-to-B flight demonstration in 2026. Work is also being done to meet regulatory requirements to fly while ensuring a supply of liquid hydrogen fuel and the relevant fuelling infrastructure on the ground.
ZeroAvia’s founder, Val Miftakhov, remarked on how this partnership marks a milestone for the future of flight. “This will be the largest aircraft in the sky powered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric propulsion system.”
Reflecting on the increased importance of scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), British Airways’ director of sustainability, Carrie Harris, said: ‘We’re now routinely operating with SAF and have been doing so into our Heathrow base for over two years. We have also secured second and third generation SAF through our partnerships with LanzaJet this year for alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) and next year with Twelve for eSAF.”
Earlier in the day and with the amphibious aircraft and seaplane sector seeing a re-emergence, Switzerland-based JEKTA celebrated an order from Seaplane Asia for 14 of its PHA-ZE100 amphibious aircraft.
The two companies will now collaborate to shape the aircraft and ensure it meets conditions relative to Asia, such as cross winds, high waves and small landing bays. Speaking to Aerospace Global News, Seaplane Asia CEO, Dennis Keller, said: “A new type of sustainable amphibious aircraft is integral to our strategy for growth… the PHA-ZE 100 promises a cost-effective solution and operational feasibility both on land and water.”
He was joined by JEKTA CEO, George Alafinov, who said: “We have signed up with the biggest seaplane operator in Asia, which is going to be one of our primary markets. The PHA-ZE will ensure the incredible experience starts in a sustainable way as soon as you touch down at an international airport.”
Elsewhere on the showfloor Boom reinforced its intention to relaunch supersonic flight. Blake Scholl, the company’s CEO and founder stated that the benefits of the Overture will be widespread, significantly speeding up air travel for passengers and generating profitable operations. “A flight from Sydney to Los Angeles currently takes around 15 hours. We will do it in 8.5 hours, while crossing the Atlantic will take 3.5 hours and the Pacific 3.5 hours,” he said.
With stakeholders across the wider industry still struggling to keep up with demand and grappling with the skills shortage post Covid, Nick Compton, EY UK&I aerospace and defence leader is confident that will soon change with the wider adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the implementation of digital twins. “A lot has changed in the last 18 months alone,” he said referencing two of the biggest transformations. “The first is that there is more data available and being captured than ever before. The second is computing power.” He added that deploying a digital twin ensures more efficient production schedules, it also enables users greater visibility across the entire supply chain, so they can identify challenges before they arise and solve them.
BAE Systems revealed that manufacturing is underway on the UK’s crewed combat air demonstrator, which will be the UK’s first all new fighter design in 40 years. There was also plenty of interest in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) today with Japan’s defence minister Minoru Kihara joined by Maria Eagle the UK’s minister for defence procurement to demonstrate the strong government commitment to the programme.
Although no huge orders were announced during the day, ATR did have cause for celebration as Air Tahiti confirmed an order for four ATR 72-600 aircraft, as well as an eight-year Global Maintenance Agreement.
By far the biggest attraction in the skies above Farnborough today was the B52 flypast, which loomed large over the crowds.
We are now over halfway through this year’s airshow and with delegates taking the opportunity to mingle and soak up the events so far, the Women in Defence sundowner reception provided the perfect backdrop to network.
Tomorrow, with Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit (GUAAS) co-located at the airshow for the first time, we look forward to showcasing the latest innovations from the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector.
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