The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group (ISSG) – which operates local airline Skybus – has signed a letter of intent with UK aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) to bring hydrogen-powered flight to the Scilly Islands off the west coast of Cornwall.
Using Britten-Norman’s expertise as the original equipment manufacturer for one of the world’s most successful low-cost, short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, CAES is leading the collaboration under Project Fresson. As part of the project ISSG sold one of its aircraft to CAeS to be retrofitted with hydrogen fuel cell technology.
“It is incredibly important for the future of our planet that we deliver emission-free aircraft and I am delighted to see the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group’s commitment to this outcome. I would encourage contact from airlines of all sizes who would like to find out how these aircraft can be part of their future,” said Paul Hutton, CEO of CAeS.
The original concept for a zero-carbon aircraft led Britten-Norman and CAeS to consider battery power technology. However it soon became apparent that the impact of weight, charge time and charging infrastructure made a battery-only solution impractical.
By moving to a hydrogen-electric fuel cell option provides operators with greater flexibility, higher passenger load and improvements to the bottom line through a potential 50% reduction in powertrain maintenance cost and a 40-50% reduction in variable costs.
Green hydrogen can be produced locally using renewable energy. It can also be stored at an operating base with relative ease and without the need to provide complex charging networks.
What’s more, turnaround times between sectors are similar to those achieved with fossil fuels, providing greater resilience to operations.
ISSG’s Chief Executive, Stuart Reid, describe the partnership as an “exciting development.” He added that “the letter of intent for hydrogen aircraft really shows our commitment towards a zero-emission aviation industry and to becoming an early adopter of this cutting-edge technology.”
