Bedford based airship company starts type certification to get new Airlander 10 off the ground

Hybrid Air Vehicles plans to get a ‘new’ Airlander 10 off the ground after it first took to the skies in 2016.

Airlander 10 is still in its preproduction development and testing phase, although the first model has progressed through its test flight schedule. Hybrid Air Vehicles, based in Ampthill Road, Bedford, has now started the Type Certification Process with the Civil Aviation Authority to pave the way for the mass production of Airlander 10 from a new production line in Doncaster, which will employ 1,200 staff.

Tom Grundy, chief executive of Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd, said: “Airlander makes new, sustainable aviation services possible at scale – it’s a large aircraft designed to deliver services from large global fleets. Alongside our production programme, applying for Type Certification is a key milestone in our journey towards this goal.”

The application for Type Certification is the milestone that formally starts the path to delivery of £1bn of current reserved orders for Airlander 10, with up to 24 aircraft produced a year.

Mass production of Airlander 10, will unlock over £1bn in reserved orders for Airlander 10.

It’s expected to be the first approval for a UK-derived large aircraft since 1979. Work is planned to be carried out with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).

The first Airlander is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Airlander 10 completed its first successful test flight in August 2016 – three days after it had been first due to fly.