Testing Low-Carbon Aircraft in Christchurch

Christchurch Airport is positioning itself as a prime candidate for testing and establishing a base for hydrogen aircraft, with New Zealand leading the potential to test Airbus’s low-carbon vision for hydrogen-powered aircraft due to its renewable electricity and water resources, the size of aircraft used, and flight routes flown, journalist Aaron Bailey reports for aviation news site, Simple Flying.

A consortium of six businesses, including Airbus, Air New Zealand, Christchurch Airport, Fortescue, Hiringa Energy, and Fabrum, have examined the supply chain since February and evaluated the aviation market’s projected hydrogen requirements.

Vice President of Airbus’s ZEROe Ecosystem, Karine Guenan said:

“The country’s large potential renewable electricity and water resources are key advantages while the size of aircraft used here and the length of routes flown match the capabilities of hydrogen-powered aircraft. This report lays out the ecosystem required to make that happen.”

Original article by Aaron Bailey, Simple Flying, September 9, 2023.