Island aviation looking to convert their aircraft to hydrogen power
Britten-Norman and Island Aviation are taking a huge leap towards environmental sustainability with a groundbreaking, initiative design. Earlier in September the airline he airline shared a sneak peek of their Britten-Norman Islander aircraft converted to hydrogen power.
Render: Island Aviation
While Island Aviation still working on the final business case for this conversion, the airline’s CEO, Chris, has been on a mission for the past two weeks in the United States and Europe, exploring low/zero emission transportation alternatives.
The initiative would make Island Aviation the second operator in New Zealand to embrace hydrogen power, following in the footsteps of the national carrier, Air New Zealand, which has shown interest in conversion kits for future Islander aircraft. If the development stays on track, we anticipate seeing these eco-friendly aircraft on routes to Great Barrier Island and Waiheke by around 2026 to 2027.
Image: Island Aviation
In the meantime, Island Aviation has also upgraded the avionics equipment on their existing fleet of Islanders, making the transition to zero-emission fuels even smoother.
The airline has extended its sincere appreciation to the teams at Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace for their dedicated efforts in shaping the specifications and designing the iconic Islander Aircraft, which stands as the top pick for island hopping and travel globally, surpassing all its competitors.
Image: Noah Stohr-Waldren
Island Aviation is a small local airline based in Auckland. They fly from multiple airports around the Auckland region, such as, North Shore Aerodrome, Waiheke Aerodrome, Ardmore Airport, Claris and Okiwi.
They operated two daily return flights between Great Barrier and North Shore as well as one return flight from Waiheke to Northshore. The airline also operates several charters upon request.
Their fleet consists of two BN2 Islanders, ZK-SFK and PIZ, as well as a single Cessna 172, ZK-RNX.