Airline doubles its order for pioneering hybrid aircraft

Sustainable aircraft technology business, Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), has secured an agreement to double the number of its new aircraft it will produce for Air Nostrum Group.

The group, which includes Hibernian Airlines in Ireland and Mel Air in Malta, will be supplied with 20 of the Airlander 10 aircraft, which will be manufactured in South Yorkshire.

Under the initial agreement, unveiled in June 2022, Air Nostrum Group had reserved 10 Airlander 10s, with a 100-passenger configuration.

Under the new agreement, the group has reserved a further 10 Airlanders to underpin expansion of the Airlander network from Spain into the Mediterranean region, including Malta.

With the first Airlander 10 services planned within five years, additional potential route networks for Airlander aircraft were recently presented by leaders from both Mel Air and Hybrid Air Vehicles to Transport Malta.

Discussions included the advantages of Airlander’s potential land and water-based operations for routes including Malta-Gozo, Malta-Sicily, and other key links with Italy, Tunisia, and Libya.

Air Nostrum has also joined the Airlander 50 Development Partner Programme, becoming the first commercial airline partner in that project.

Airlander 50 is designed to accommodate a 50-tonne payload, and will address the future of freight, moving cargo or people point-to-point with minimal infrastructure and a low environmental impact.

In March 2023, HAV and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority of the UK, led by Mayor Oliver Coppard, revealed a £7m investment into plans to deliver production of Airlander 10 aircraft in the region. The plans will enable creation of over 1,200 skilled jobs.

Tom Grundy, CEO of HAV, said: “Our growing partnership with Air Nostrum Group continues to demonstrate leadership towards the future of flight, and revolutionising how we fly.

“Airlander is designed to deliver a better future for commercially appealing and truly sustainable aviation services, by enabling new transport services and better growth options for our customers.

“Airlander 10 will make this possible by 2027, and Airlander 50 will build on it. We’re so pleased to have doubled Air Nostrum’s reservation to 20 aircraft, and to have its backing for our journey and support for our Airlander 50 Development Programme.”

Miguel Angel Falcon, chairman of Mel Air and vice president of Air Nostrum, added: “There are many factors that motivate us in flying Airlander.

“These include a very low fuel consumption, bringing great ecological and economic benefits; the high operational versatility of being able to take-off and land on land and water; the family concept offering from 10 to 50 tonnes of payload starting with 100 passengers on the Airlander 10, all in an environment of great passenger comfort.

“These are just some critical factors that make the Airlander an excellent aircraft for regional flights.”