COMMERCIAL AVIATION
ZeroAvia | February 08, 2023
On February 07, 2023, one of the leaders in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, ZeroAvia, announced a collaboration agreement had been signed with Shell, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA) and Rotterdam The Hague Airport, and the companies will develop flights to European destinations, with a concept and demonstration of operations for hydrogen in airports by the end of 2024, getting prepared for commercial passenger flights by 2025.
This collaboration will serve the first hydrogen flight from Rotterdam, developing on-the-ground infrastructure and operations to successfully pilot the distribution, storage, and dispensing of hydrogen for aviation, and ultimately decarbonizing the entire airport ecosystem, following on the announcement made last year about the cooperation commitment to launch the first hydrogen-electric commercial flight.
The project's goal is to enable gaseous hydrogen to power ZeroAvia's emission-free ZA600 engines. The companies collaborated with aims to establish routes to European airports within 250 nautical miles of Rotterdam for the specific demonstration flights. The previous month, ZeroAvia demonstrated a 19-seater flight first one, which is powered by its prototype ZA600 engine. Additionally, the project will target the development of aviation-specific protocols and standards around the safety, hydrogen and refueling management and enable the rollout of the promising fuel effortlessly.
With the project, Shell brings critical experiences and technical capabilities. The knowledge encompasses global experiences in the design and operation of refueling equipment, including hydrogen, and understanding the hydrogen industry from start to finish. The company’s investments in hydrogen production projects are made to foster the growth of hydrogen economies across the globe. Shell collaborates with airports to develop infrastructure that fits for the future and will allow supplying customers with sustainable aviation fuel, electric plane charging and hydrogen as 'multi-modular' infrastructure.
About ZeroAvia
Founded in 2017, ZeroAvia is the leading hydro-emission aviation, focusing on hydrogen-electric aircraft solutions. The company aims to serve multiple markets, starting with those within a 300-mile range of 9-19-seat aircraft by 2025 and then expanding to those within a 700-mile range of 40-80-seat aircraft by 2027. Based in Hollister, California, ZeroAvia has already succeeded in getting experimental certificates from the CAA and FAA for its two-prototype aircraft. It has also passed important flight test milestones, formed key partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and airlines worldwide, and is on track to start commercial operations in 2025.
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AEROSPACE
Boom Supersonic | January 27, 2023
On January 26, 2023, the creators of one of the world's fastest airliners, Boom Supersonic, started constructing its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Overture Superfactory, located on a 62-acre campus at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, is a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. For the Boom's flagship supersonic airliner, Overture's 62-acre site will house the final assembly, test facility and customer delivery center.
The company will hire more than 2,400 people to work at the Superfactory by 2032, and the hiring process has already started. The estimation made by North Carolina's economists states that the complete Boom manufacturing program will improve the state's economy by $32.3 billion in 20 years. Adding to the job creation, the company is creating 200+ internships for students from public universities, community colleges and trade schools in North Carolina to develop the next generation of supersonic workers.
Boom selected the location of North Carolina for the Overture aircraft purposely to utilize the large skilled talent pool, exceptional access to universities, community colleges and technical schools, closeness to the Eastern Seaboard for testing supersonic flights over water and proximity to several top aerospace suppliers. Also, the statistics of North Carolina show the three times faster growth of the state in the aerospace manufacturing sector than the national average in the past few years.
Boom will focus on the construction of the Overture Superfactory for this year. The construction will involve BE&K Building Group and BRPH, the design partner. To keep up with the commitment to environmental sustainability, the company's Overture Superfactory would be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.
About Boom Supersonic
Based in Centennial, Colorado, Boom Supersonic, with its Overture, is redefining commercial flight. This historic commercial airliner was built to meet the highest standards in the industry for speed, safety, and environmental friendliness. Overture will be powered by a system called SymphonyTM, a collaboration between Boom and leaders in the industry. The company aims to provide supersonic travel for civil and government needs with its dramatically more accessible features. Founded in 2014, it has created a team of 150+ full-time employees contributing to more than 220 air and spacecraft programs.
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AIR TRANSPORT
Honda Aircraft Company | March 09, 2023
On March 08, 2023, Honda Aircraft Company, a manufacturer of aviation components, announced it has been awarded AMT Employer Diamond Award for 2022 for one more time. This is the highest level of the William (Bill) O'Brien Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The significant award recognizes the unique skills and knowledge of the Honda Aircraft Company's maintenance team and the company's dedication to fostering and promoting adequate technical training programs that exceed FAA regulatory requirements.
After fulfilling all the eligibility and following FAA standards of excellence, AMTs of the Honda Aircraft Company maintenance team earn individual AMT Certificates of Training for the calendar year. This accomplishment demonstrates Honda Aircraft's ongoing dedication to the aviation maintenance team and its commitment to the support and develop its maintenance workforce.
Honda Aircraft Company has been leading the aviation industry with technology and innovation since its first delivery of the HondaJet in 2015 while maintaining an unmatched focus on customer support. The expansion of the Flexible Phased Maintenance Program and HondaJet's new Authorized Service Centers are some of the company's recent improvements toward improving customer satisfaction. In January this year, the global HondaJet fleet flew for over 160,000 hours and had the best dispatch reliability at 99.7%. In addition, by getting the FAA AMT Employer Diamond Award, Honda Aircraft Company once again showed that it is committed to excellence in all parts of its business.
About Honda Aircraft Company
Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., established in 2006 and based in Greensboro (North Carolina). The company enhances people's lives through innovative aviation technology intending to advance humanity. It has been a worldwide symbol for efficient and innovative technologies contributing to constant human progress and increasing personal mobility globally. It aims to continue developing its aircraft's most advanced and low-emission technologies, which is only possible with the help of ambitious, big-hearted dreamers. In addition, the company's dynamic team is addressing contemporary mobility challenges and designing aircraft at the intersection of art and science.
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