Time to act, Air New Zealand says as it plans for 2026 zero emission flights

Air New Zealand will launch its first zero emissions flight by 2026, four years from now, and begin replacing its Q300 domestic fleet with sustainable aircraft from 2030. The 23 Bombardier Q300 domestic aircraft would probably use green hydrogen or battery hybrid systems, Air New Zealand CE Greg Foran said on Friday. “I think we're at that inflection point where you’ve actually got to start putting in money where your mouth is,” Foran told an event in Auckland. “And like any change it's going to be full of risk, there's going to be some challenges. None of this is going to be easy. We don't actually have all the solutions yet.” The airline would spend the next three years focused on building, testing and certifying aircraft and infrastructure. By 2026, Air New Zealand aimed to have its first zero emissions commercial demonstrator aircraft, either cargo or passenger, up and flying. Baden Smith​, Air New Zealand head of fleet strategy, said that to renew its Q300 fleet with more sustainable aircraft from 2030, time was short and the airline needed to use a series of stepping stones. “We recognise that putting a line in the sand and saying we're wanting to do something in this space by 2026 is almost ridiculous by aviation standards. But equally, if we don't start this now, we won't get to the big decarbonisation levers at the beginning of the next decade.” In 2021 Air New Zealand asked aircraft developers to respond after outlining what it needed from zero emissions aircraft. Of the more than 30 responses, about 24% of the solutions were battery powered and about 38% came back with hydrogen powered solutions, Smith said.<br/>