Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), a UK-based company in sustainable aircraft technologies, and Air Nostrum Group, which includes Hibernian Airlines in Ireland and Mel Air in Malta, have agreed to double the number of Airlander 10 under reservation, to a total of 20 aircraft.
Under the initial agreement, announced in June 2022, Air Nostrum Group had reserved 10 Airlander 10 aircraft, with a 100-passenger configuration. Under the new agreement HAV says Air Nostrum Group has reserved a further 10 Airlander aircraft 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 (part of the Air Nostrum Group) and Hybrid Air Vehicles to Transport Malta” according to the press release. “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. The Airlander 50 Development Partner Programme enables key partners and future Airlander 50 customers to influence and enhance Hybrid Air Vehicles’ Airlander 50 specification. “
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(Image: Hybrid Air Vehicles)