Evia Aero adds five hydrogen kits to LoI with Cranfield
Bremen-based start-up Evia Aero has added five more hydrogen fuel-cell based conversion kits to its Letter of Intent (LoI) with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS).
The additions take the total to 15 modification kits which will convert Britten Norman Islanders to hydrogen power. CAeS will also supply supplementary type certificates (STCs) for each of the kits.
Evia has also signed a separate LoI for 10 passenger aircraft to be powered by a scaled-up version of CAeS’ propulsion system.
CAeS CEO Paul Hutton said: “We have developed a fantastic relationship with Evia Aero and are delighted that their confidence in CAeS’ capabilities continues to grow with the signing of additional orders for 9-seat Britten-Norman Islander modification kits and our future 19-seat aircraft. By working together, we can make zero-emissions flight a reality.”
CAeS made public at Farnborough Airshow this year plans for a larger propulsion system based on the system in development today – at first retrofitting it into a more powerful, longer range platform before moving onto clean sheet aircraft, optimised around the novel propulsion system.
It has not yet been determined whether the aircraft ordered by Evia will be a modification to an existing aircraft or a new concept.
Included in the terms for the 19-seat passenger aircraft is a collaboration between the two firms on the development of performance specifications and maintenance requirements for the new hydrogen aircraft.
Florian Kruse, Evia Aero, Founder and CEO, said: “Our joint mission with CAeS for sustainable aviation has been very successful in recent months. More and more airports are committing to our system, which is based on the entire value chain of sustainable aviation.
“To meet the needs of the markets for the future, we have decided to order more conversion kits, and to set out with Cranfield Aerospace for a future with 19-seaters for regional traffic. As it stands, our order book is complete for the rest of the decade.”
