Air New Zealand has signed an agreement with Embraer to join the company’s Energia Advisory Group, a group of key industry stakeholders advising Embraer’s Energia project developing sustainable aircraft for the future.
On Tuesday (February 7, 2023), Embraer announced that Air New Zealand has signed an agreement to join the company’s Energia Advisory Group. The group includes airlines, lessors, manufacturers and other aviation industry experts who are advising Embraer’s Energia project in the development of sustainable aircraft for the future. As part of the agreement, Embraer will also become a long-term partner in Air New Zealand’s Next Gen Aircraft initiative, and will work alongside the carrier to accelerate the development and introduction of zero emissions aircraft technology for Air New Zealand’s regional fleet.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Air New Zealand’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiri Hannifin, said,
“We want to be a leader in the roll out of zero emissions aircraft in New Zealand. Having Embraer as one of our long-term partners will grow our collective understanding of zero emissions aircraft technology as it develops and will give them the confidence they are developing a product that’s viable for us.”
Also commenting on the sustainable aircraft collaboration, Embraer Commercial Aviation’s President, Arjan Meijer, added,
“As the global leader in regional aircraft, Embraer is ideally positioned to bring disruptive technologies to smaller aircraft first. Air New Zealand, operator of a large, complex, and diverse regional network, is the perfect collaborator and we’re proud to be a part of this initiative. Smaller, regional aircraft are going to be the first platforms on which new fuel and propulsion systems can be introduced effectively. Embraer looks forward to contributing to Air New Zealand’s initiative and also adding their expertise and requirements into Embraer’s Energia project.”
Air New Zealand first took flight in 1940 with service between Auckland and Sydney with a Short S30 flying boat. Renowned for their warm Kiwi hospitality, the carrier operates a fleet of 104 aircraft including Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320 Family aircraft, as well as ATR and De Haviland Canada Dash 8-300 regional turboprops. The airline’s modern and fuel-efficient fleet has an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand connects customers and cargo to 20 regions in New Zealand, as well as internationally across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the U.S.
Headquartered in Brazil, Embraer is a global aerospace company and the leading manufacturer of aircraft with 70-150 seats, with more than 100 customers worldwide. The company maintains industrial units, offices and service/parts distribution centers across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe. Since the company’s founding in 1969, Embraer has delivered over 8,000 aircraft. Today, an Embraer aircraft takes off on average every ten seconds, carrying over 145 million passengers annually.
Source: Embraer