Auckland Airport joins Heart Aerospace Industry Advisory Board

New Zealand’ largest airport and one of the country’ most important infrastructure assets, Auckland Airport, joins Heart Aerospace’s Industry Advisory Board to support the electrification of air travel. Auckland Airport is currently undergoing the most significant upgrade in its history, including the installation of aircraft charging facilities (ground power units) in the new airfield as part of the development for a new integrated terminal. Auckland Airport is actively working to reduce its climate impact and has disclosed a decarbonisation pathway to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.    

Chief Sustainability and Master-Planning Officer at Auckland Airport, Mary-Liz Tuck, commented: “We’re thrilled to be joining Heart Aerospace’s industry advisory board and contributing to the development of electric aircraft. The electrification of air travel and the decarbonisation pathway for aviation is certainly not straight forward, there’s no instant answer. It’s about taking steps over time and working together with the ecosystem of partners to help create solution-based changes. We’re committed to reducing carbon emissions across our operations and infrastructure at Auckland Airport and we are commencing the transition of our terminal air conditioning system from gas to electric this year, as well as a solar array going atop the Transport Hub, which is currently under construction and will have a 14,000m2 rooftop. We’re looking forward to future innovation and working with Heart Aerospace and its board members in this space.” 

President and Chief Commercial Officer at Heart Aerospace, Simon Newitt, said: “Auckland Airport has taken a holistic view on decarbonization, and all members of our advisory board now have the opportunity to learn from this approach and shape an ecosystem that enable the electrification of air travel. We’re delighted that Auckland Airport is joining our board, and we look forward to collaborating with them.” 

Heart Aerospace is developing the ES-30, a regional electric airplane with a standard seating capacity of 30 passengers driven by electric motors with battery derived energy. It will have a fully electric zero emissions range of 200 kilometers, an extended hybrid range of 400 kilometers with 30 passengers and flexibility to fly up to 800 kilometers with 25 passengers, all including typical airline reserves. Heart Aerospace has a total of 250 firm orders for the ES-30, with options and purchase rights for an additional 120 planes. The company also has letters of intent for a further 91 airplanes.