Rewritten by ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
Air New Zealand has named Wellington and Marlborough airports as its home ports for its commercial demonstration of an all-electric manned cargo aircraft.
Wellington Airport will serve as home base while across the Cook Strait, Marlborough Airport in Blenheim will build charging infrastructure to power the aircraft for the return journey.
Air NZ’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin says the purpose of the commercial demonstrator is to set the NZ aviation system up for the introduction of lower emission aircraft.
“We are incredibly grateful to both Wellington and Marlborough airports for being so willing to take on a leadership role in supporting Air New Zealand to establish next generation aircraft capability in our business.
“Their involvement is critical in supporting the infrastructure required to fly next-generation aircraft, and they’ll help lead the way in supporting airports across Aotearoa (New Zealand) to make the changes needed for us to fly larger lower-emissions aircraft on our domestic network from 2030.”
Wellington Airport Chief Executive Officer Matt Clarke described the decision as a real coup for them in helping the airline accelerate the pace of change in decarbonising aviation.
“Partnering with Air New Zealand to host the commercial demonstrator is a giant leap for sustainable aviation, providing the basis for all airports to prepare for the next generation of aircraft technology,” he said.
“Our team put their heart and soul into the hosting bid and that same energy will now be focused on getting this service off the ground.”
Marlborough Airport Chief Executive Officer Dean Heiford says they are proud to partner with Wellington Airport and Air New Zealand to trial the next generation of aviation technology.
“Decarbonising aviation is of global importance, and in New Zealand maintaining regional connectivity through this transition is of national importance.
“This is a big step for us on our own sustainability journey that we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without partnership. We’re looking forward to sharing our learnings with other regional airports across New Zealand.
“Hosting the demonstrator with Wellington will further cement Marlborough as an important hub to keep New Zealand connected across the Cook Strait.”
Air New Zealand announced the purchase of its first next-generation aircraft, the all-electric ALIA CTOL from Beta Technologies, late last year.
The airline will initially operate a cargo-only service in partnership with NZ Post on a route to be selected through an expressions of interest (EOI) process.
Marlborough Airport sits at the mouth of the Marlborough Sounds, a veritable maze of bays, coves and islets where food and mail supplies are still delivered by boat.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran says the purchase cements the airline’s commitment to lower-emissions aircraft.
“This is a small but important step in a much larger journey for Air New Zealand. There is a lot of work ahead of us, but we are incredibly committed, and this purchase marks a new chapter for the airline,” he said.
“Decarbonising aviation isn’t easy and we have a lot of work to do. We need to accelerate the pace of change in the technology, infrastructure, operations and regulation,” Mr Foran said.
“While this aircraft will add to, not replace our existing fleet, it is a catalyst for that change. By flying the ALIA, we hope to advance our knowledge and the transformation needed in the aviation system in Aotearoa for us to fly larger, fleet replacing, next generation aircraft from 2030.”
BETA Chief Executive Officer Kyle Clark applauded the airline’s approach.
“Air New Zealand is hyper-focused on bringing technologies to scale as quickly as possible, both to meet its own ambitions to decarbonise and to change the broader aviation landscape,” he said.
“We are gratified by the airline’s confidence in our technology as a solution that will meet their operational needs and look forward to continuing to work hand-in-hand as we bring the ALIA to market for 2026.”
ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT
Designed by electric aerospace company BETA Technologies, the electric aircraft is expected to join Air New Zealand’s fleet in 2026.
The Kiwi airline is buying the conventional take-off and landing version of the ALIA after an 18-month evaluation and diligence.
Under the airline’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft program, it chose four partners out of 30 contacted by them to work on launching commercial flights using next generation aircraft in 2026.
BETA’s ALIA is the first commercial order under the program.
Tasman Aircraft 