November 30, 2022Aviation / News

An Aviation Landmark For Rolls-Royce And easyJet

In a world first, the duo test-run a hydrogen-powered aero engine.

Like battery-powered vehicles, hydrogen-propelled solutions have had their fair share of challenges. That said, the latter does have a big plus in its arsenal. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. And because our solar system’s sun runs on it, the periodic table’s first element is essentially a critical ingredient for life on Earth.

So, if it can power humans to survive, why not our transportation system? We’ve already seen examples of hydrogen-powered vehicles on land. What about air travel? Well, it has made a mark there as well, albeit in controlled conditions. Rolls-Royce and easyJet recently confirmed that they have successfully tested a modern aero engine with hydrogen as the fuel. This is an astonishing piece of development. And it is a world first.

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The test was conducted at an outdoor facility at MoD Boscombe Down, UK, using a modified Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A aircraft engine. Green hydrogen for the tests was provided by EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre). Green? That’s because the hydrogen was generated using renewable energy (wind and tidal power) at EMEC’s production and tidal test plant on Eday in the Orkney Islands, UK.

Here’s what Grazia Vittadini, who is the chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, said about this feat:

The success of this hydrogen test is an exciting milestone. We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement. We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero-carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight.

Johan Lundgren, the CEO at easyJet, added his comments. He said:

This is a real success for our partnership team. We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft, including easyJet-sized aircraft. That will be a huge step forward in meeting the challenge of net zero by 2050.

Both easyJet and Rolls-Royce are committed to proving that hydrogen can play a crucial role in the decarbonisation of the aviation industry. The duo plan to run a series of further rig tests leading up to a full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 engine, which belongs to the turbofan family.

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April 18, 2024

Air India’s A350 To Fly On Delhi-Dubai Route From May 1

In January 2024, Air India’s newest family member, the brand-new Airbus A350-900 sporting the carrier’s new livery, entered commercial service. Due to some boring and tedious reasons, the widebody jet was deployed for domestic duties. It served passengers travelling to or fro from Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Come May 1, 2024, the long-haulier twin-engined aircraft will finally add an international destination to its portfolio. Air India has confirmed that in about two weeks from now, the A350-900 will serve travellers on the busy Delhi-Dubai route. The outbound flight – AI995 – will depart the Indian capital at 20:45hrs and arrive in Dubai at 22:45hrs. The return leg – AI996 – will leave Dubai at 00:15hrs the next day and land in Delhi at 04:55hrs. All times mentioned are local. Presently, Air India operates 72 flights a week to Dubai from five Indian cities. Of them, 32 originate from Delhi.

The Air India A350-900 aircraft boasts a three-class seating layout comprising 28 private suites with full-flat beds, 24 seats in Premium Economy, and 264 seats in Economy. Every seat comes with its own Panasonic eX3 in-flight HD entertainment system, which has over 2,200 hours of content from across the globe.

April 18, 2024

Air Serbia Adds Another ATR To Fleet

Serbia’s flag carrier, Air Serbia, has strengthened its fleet with another ATR aircraft. The eighth ATR to wear the airline’s livery is a 9-year-old 72-600 turboprop bearing the registration number YU-ASF. The plane landed at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport after completing the necessary procedures, which have been undergoing since March 10, 2024.

Air Serbia started adding ATR aircraft to its fleet in 2022. In that year alone, the airline took delivery of four 72-600s. Another three of the same type were added in 2023. All ATRs in the carrier’s fleet presently boast 70 to 72 “Geven Prestige” and “Acro” seats. These aeroplanes are powered by two PW127M turboprop engines, delivering a maximum cruising speed of 500kmph. The travel range at full capacity is about 1,500km.