Regional aircraft manufacturer ATR and Air New Zealand are to deepen their existing partnership to accelerate the development of low emission aircraft technology in New Zealand.

Through an initiative called ‘Mission Next Gen Aircraft’, Air New Zealand is already partnering with several industry and academic stakeholders to replace its Q300 domestic fleet with a more sustainable option from 2030 and ATR has launched a feasibility study on its ATR ‘EVO’ concept, demonstrating its ambition to continue to drive the future of the regional market towards net-zero carbon emissions.

Air New Zealand chief sustainability officer Kiri Hannifin said: “Through our partnerships with Airbus and ATR we’ve been able to deepen our understanding of the impact green hydrogen and battery hybrid aircraft may have on our network, operations and infrastructure, as well as the opportunities and challenges of flying low and zero emissions aircraft in New Zealand. Working with the world’s leading innovators is critical to addressing the climate crisis. These partners were selected because they are taking action now to progress decarbonising the aviation industry.”

“ATR fully shares Air New Zealand’s ambition to accelerate the transition towards net-zero carbon emissions. Having worked together since 2018 to explore new propulsion technologies and their impact on operations and infrastructure, we are now taking this partnership to the next level. With Mission NextGen Aircraft we will be supporting Air New Zealand in every step of this challenging adventure in investigating disruptive innovations to turn our commitments into tangible reality,” said Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, ATR’s chief executive.

ATR is also actively working on shorter-term solutions to enable ever more sustainable and affordable air connections to empower communities across the globe. The first to fly a commercial aircraft with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel in both engines, in partnership with Braathens Regional Airlines and Pratt & Whitney Canada, ATR is aiming for 100% SAF certification of its aircraft by 2025.