A new low carbon aircraft is set to be built in Doncaster, after South Yorkshire’s mayor approved a £7m loan for the Airlander project.
As well as building the new hybrid aircraft, the plans include a new green aerospace cluster, creating over 1,200 jobs in green technology.
The Airlander 10 aircraft is being developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) with the first set to be completed by 2026. Ultimately it aims to build 12 new Airlander 10s in Doncaster every year.
Last year, Air Nostrum, placed an order for ten Airlander 10 aircraft.
HAV say it will be an “ultra-low emissions” aircraft capable of carrying 100 passengers or ten tonnes of freight. The company added that this would deliver “90% fewer per-passenger emissions in flight” than a traditional aircraft.
“At Hybrid Air Vehicles we are revolutionising views of what aviation is, and Airlander is designed for us to rethink the skies,” explained Tom Grundy CEO, Hybrid Air Vehicles.
“From day one, Mayor Oliver Coppard has bought into our vision, so I am delighted that he has announced this investment which will anchor green industries and over time create more than a thousand highly skilled jobs in Doncaster and South Yorkshire.”
The loan investment will be used to help HAV invest in facilities, talent and supply chains in the region.The loan investment will be used to help HAV invest in facilities, talent and supply chains in the region and lead to the company investing up to £310m into its production in the town.
“I was elected as South Yorkshire’s Mayor on a pledge to build on our world-leading assets in the region and create a bigger, smarter and greener economy,” stated Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire.
“As our neighbours across the Atlantic have proved, investing in the potential of green technologies will not only help us tackle the climate emergency, it will help us create high quality new jobs and grow a bigger, better economy which takes everyone with it. We have a world-class cluster of companies working at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing and green technology, so I’m genuinely excited that we can support HAV in their ambitions to build a sustainable aviation cluster here in Doncaster.”
