The MRO and the manufacturer of hydrogen-electric aircraft engines form partnership to prepare the world of aircraft maintenance to handle this new type of plane.
Paris, Amstelveen–At the MRO Europe event in Amsterdam, AFI KLM E&M and ZeroAvia announced that they have signed a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the field of hydrogen-electric propulsion for aircraft.
As part of this agreement, the two partners are jointly studying the technical training needs and processes required for the technicians and mechanics who will be involved in retrofitting and maintaining fleets equipped with this technology in the future. This mutually beneficial cooperation also covers ongoing support for components.
James Peck, Chief Customer Officer at ZeroAvia said:
“Thanks to this collaboration, we have access to all the experience of a leading player to explore training the MRO community in the technological breakthroughs delivering clean flight. AFI KLM E&M’s commitment will help to ensure that zero–emission aircraft will be operating on commercial routes within the next few years.”
AFI KLM E&M’s EVP KLM Engineering and Maintenance, Ton Dortmans commented:
“ZeroAvia is a recognized pioneer in the sector, with a pragmatic technological approach. Alongside other technological solutions such as sustainable aviation fuels and 100% electric propulsion, we are very interested in ZeroAvia’s promising hydrogen-electric architectures and retrofit plans. We firmly believe in the development of ‘zero-carbon’ aviation, and we have decided to make a concrete contribution by mobilizing our expertise and our MRO ecosystem. Developing new machines is one thing. It’s quite another to operate and maintain them and we need to start preparing for that today, together with our partners and customers”.
About ZeroAvia
ZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on hydrogen-electric aviation as the initially targeting a 300-mile range in 9–19 seat aircraft by the end of 2025, and up to 700-mile range in 40–80 seat aircraft by 2027. Based in the US and the UK, ZeroAvia has already secured experimental certificates for its three prototype aircraft from the CAA and FAA, passed significant flight test milestones, secured a number of key partnerships with major aircraft OEMs, secured pre-orders for nearly 2,000 engines from a number of the major global airlines, with future revenue potential over $10bn. ZeroAvia is part of the UK Government’s Jet Zero Council. For more, please visit ZeroAvia.com, follow @ZeroAvia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
ZeroAvia Press Team
About AFI KLM E&M
Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance is a major multi-product MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul) provider. With a workforce of over 12,800, AFI KLM E&M offers comprehensive technical support for airlines, ranging from engineering and line maintenance to engine overhaul, aero structure and fan thrust reverser support, as well as the management, repair and supply of aircraft components, structured around a powerful logistics network. AFI KLM E&M supports almost 3,000 aircraft operated by 200 major international and domestic airlines.www.afiklmem.com
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