New factory producing 'zero emissions' aircraft to open in South Yorkshire aerospace manufacturing cluster

A company that is developing the world’s longest aircraft has revealed plans to create a Yorkshire production site.

Hybrid Air Vehicles, based in Bedford, said it has been working on a proposal to establish a production line for the Airlander 10 - which is part plane, part airship - within a new green aerospace manufacturing cluster in South Yorkshire.

HAV aims for Airlander 10 to be the first aircraft capable of carrying up to 100 passengers to achieve zero emissions flight.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The firm said it has been working with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Doncaster Council and other local and national stakeholders on the plans.

Hybrid Air Vehicle has been working on a proposal to establish a production line for the Airlander 10 within a new green aerospace manufacturing cluster in South Yorkshire.Hybrid Air Vehicle has been working on a proposal to establish a production line for the Airlander 10 within a new green aerospace manufacturing cluster in South Yorkshire.
Hybrid Air Vehicle has been working on a proposal to establish a production line for the Airlander 10 within a new green aerospace manufacturing cluster in South Yorkshire.

The exact location, or when work could start at the new site, has not been revealed. However, it expects to make more announcements about the site over the coming weeks.

In a statement, the company said: “As the Airlander 10 programme nears launch, we need to identify a suitable location for the facilities that will enable us to deliver a minimum of 12 Type Certified aircraft to the market per year.

“South Yorkshire presents an ideal combination of strategic vision, educational and research institutions, potential partners (and current partners 2Excel Aviation and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre - AMRC), and physical location.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Together, HAV and SYMCA and these other organisations have built a strong relationship and we look forward to continuing our work to establish Airlander 10’s production home in South Yorkshire.”

In October last year, HAV and the AMRC signed an agreement that sees them working together to identify projects developing research, innovation, and training linked to HAV’s Airlander 10 production.

With a shared focus on aerospace manufacturing innovation and decarbonisation, HAV and the AMRC aim to address projects relating to zero-emissions propulsion and its supporting technologies.

The AMRC’s flagship Factory 2050 building in Sheffield is a showcase for technologies that HAV can leverage during the build out of the Airlander 10 production facility.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

HAV said it will continue to have a ‘significant and growing presence’ at its Bedford headquarters where Airlander was born.

It has been looking for a manufacturing base since moving from its former site at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire in 2018.

Its previous prototype, which was 302ft (92m) long and cost £32m, carried out six successful test flights between 2016 and 2017, before being retired after breaking its moorings and self-deflating in November 2017.

When built, the new craft will be about 320ft (98m) long.

With four combustion engines, HAV says the standard Airlander 10 will deliver up to 75 per cent reduction in emissions over comparable aircraft in a wide range of roles.

In time, HAV plans to make all four of Airlander 10’s engines electric to give future customers the option for a zero-emissions aircraft.

It hopes that this aircraft will be in service by 2030.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.