Widerøe, committed to being one of the first airlines in the world to be emission-free, has signed an MoU with Embraer that will see the companies working together to define and establish the real-world requirements for sustainable, emission-free, and commercially viable, aviation.
The companies will collaborate to define requirements such as infrastructure, ground handling, aircraft performance (range, speed, etc.), cargo space etc. The Energia Advisory Group will help accelerate time to market and ultimately inform the choice of which Energia concept will come to market first.
This agreement builds on existing Embraer projects with Widerøe such as ‘Project Zero’ – a collaboration with Rolls-Royce to study a truly zero-emission aircraft (zero NOx and other greenhouse gases) of around 50 seats. This complementary work looks at all aspects of developing and operating the 19-50 seat Energia concepts.
“At Widerøe, we established Widerøe Zero because we need the freedom to think afresh. There are entrenched ways of doing things in our industry, but running a zero-emissions fleet is going to be completely different,” says Andreas Kollbye Aks, former Director of Strategy at Widerøe, and CEO of Widerøe Zero. “Embraer’s approach to sustainable aviation most closely aligns with our own, and this collaboration will get into the real-world detail, to shape the technology that will make Zero missions flight a reality.”
Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said, “We’re proud of our association with Widerøe, which has become a powerful voice globally in the drive for sustainable aviation and was recently named ‘Eco-Airline of The Year’ by Air Transport World. Widerøe’s expertise in, and commitment to, sustainable aviation is unrivalled. The experience they and subsequent group members bring to the program will be a key foundation of Energia’s successful development.”
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