UK-based, Hybrid Air Vehicles hope to make the world’s aviation a zero-carbon service. Their HAV’s boast low emissions and low fuel burn, meaning they produce less greenhouse gas emissions than the average plane.
Their Airlander 10 has been designed to create a reduction in emissions by up to 75%. By 2025 they hope to make the Airlander 10, a hybrid-electric vehicle, which is predicted to reduce emissions by 90%. By 2030, they hope that they can make the aircrafts engines completely electric dependent, meaning there will be a 100% decrease in emissions.
The Airlander flies, like a plane, an airship and a helicopter all in one, and it relies on helium and electricity to keep it in the air. Each airship will be able to hold up to 100 people making them a great option for domestic flights.
The company have already received their first order from Air Nostrum Group, a Spanish regional airline, who have reserved 10 Airlander airships with the promise of delivery in 2026. This means that the Spanish airline will be able to cut its emissions by 90% for its regional routes, reducing its carbon footprint dramatically.
Hopefully other regional airlines offering short-haul flights will also consider HAVs as an option to cut down their carbon emissions. As aviation accounts for around 2.5% of global emissions annually, we need to find ways of flying more sustainably.
