Aerospace sector set to soar again

There is no getting away from it - the global pandemic has had a devastating effect on the aerospace sector. According to the ADS, which represents more than 1100 UK businesses operating in the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors, 2020 saw global deliveries fall 42% from 2019 to 723 aircraft. And, while 567 new aircraft orders were placed in 2020,  52% of them were placed in January, before the global impact of the crisis was felt. According to the ADS, overall aircraft order and delivery figures for 2020 show the extent of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to a global aerospace sector that had already faced a comparatively challenging 2019. When compared to the record years of 2018 and 2017 for deliveries and orders, the sector is well below previous output levels.

The nadir continues into 2021, with Global aircraft manufacturers reporting 80 orders in May 2021 and 67 deliveries. This represents a small rise from April, but is still substantially below average monthly rates before the pandemic.

“Our aerospace and aviation sectors are among the most deeply affected by the crisis, which has had a severe impact on flight numbers, and on demand for the advanced, fuel efficient aircraft manufactured by UK industry, said ADS chief executive Kevin Craven

“A full recovery is expected to take several years, but we need Governments to open the skies to travellers once again, building on the successful vaccination programmes that are key in overcoming the Covid pandemic.

“While aviation demand has at last begun to rise from the lowest point of the crisis, the recovery remains fragile and our supply chain businesses are still facing serious challenges to maintain their capabilities, meet financing needs and secure future business opportunities.”

However, despite the contenting travel restrictions that will undoubtedly see many of us lucky enough to have a summer holiday stay on home soil this summer, there is some more postive news coming out of the sector. Just last week, United Airlines announced the purchase of 270 new Boeing and Airbus aircraft – the largest combined order in the airline's history and the biggest by an individual carrier in the last decade.

The order includes 70 Airbus A321neo aircraft, complementing United’s existing order with Airbus for 50 A321XLR aircraft, bringing the total commitment from the airline to 120 A321 aircraft. The A321neo is reported to  provides superior environmental performance with the lowest CO₂ emissions per seat in its class. The A321neo’s lower carbon footprint will support United along its journey to reduce the airline’s CO₂ emissions 100% by 2050.

The lion’s share of the order is made up of 200 737 MAXs from Boeing, including 150 of the largest 737-10 variant. The 737 MAX family proports to deliver efficiency, flexibility and reliability while reducing fuel use and carbon emissions by at least 14% compared to the airplanes it replaces. The 737-8 seats up to 189 passengers and can fly 3550 nautical miles – about 600 miles farther than its predecessor – allowing airlines to offer new and more direct routes for passengers.

Urban Air Mobility

As part of its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, American Airlines is investing in Vertical Aerospace, a leading UK-headquartered engineering and aeronautical business developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. With the investment, American aims to demonstrate its focus on emerging technologies to reduce carbon emissions, investing in innovative ways that could improve the customer journey.

As part of its investment in Vertical, American has agreed to pre-order, subject to certain future agreed upon milestones and other terms, up to 250 aircraft, representing a potential pre-order commitment of $1 billion, and an option to order an additional 100 aircraft. The airline also expects to make a $25 million investment in Vertical through a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction. Vertical is developing the VA-X4, a zero-carbon aircraft that can carry four passengers and a pilot, and fly at speeds up to 200 mph over a range of over 100 miles.

“Emerging technologies are critical in the race to reduce carbon emissions and we are excited to partner with Vertical to develop the next generation of electric aircraft,” said Derek Kerr, Chief Financial Officer at American. “For years, American has led the industry in investing in newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft. Today’s partnership is another example of that commitment, and an investment in the future of air mobility. We are excited about the prospect of what this could mean for our customers, and our company.”

These aircraft could potentially transport customers quickly around urban city centres and to airports. Vertical plans to conduct its first test flight of the VA-X4 later this year, with certification of the aircraft as early as 2024.

“This is the most exciting time in aviation for almost a century; electrification will transform flying in the 21st century in the same way the jet engine did 70 years ago,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical chief executive and founder. “As we all work towards a future beyond fossil fuels, we are delighted to be partnering with American Airlines. We share their passion for innovation and excellence and believe that by working together we will help make carbon free flight a reality for millions of passengers.”

Aviation energy storage technology

Another company focused on sustainability is Rolls Royce, which is looking to develop energy storage systems (ESS) that will enable aircraft to undertake zero emissions flights of over 100 miles on a single charge. In order to deliver this ground-breaking technology, the company is planning an £80m investment in ESS over the next decade, that will create around 300 jobs by 2030 and strengthen its position as the leading supplier of all-electric and hybrid-electric power and propulsion systems for aviation.

Aerospace-certified ESS solutions from Rolls-Royce will power electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) in the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market and fixed-wing aircraft, with up to 19 seats, in the commuter market. By 2035, the company is planning to integrate more than 5 million battery cells per annum into modular systems. These modules will deliver market-leading energy density levels.

Rolls-Royce is also working with airframer, Tecnam, and Widerøe – the largest regional airline in Scandinavia – to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for the commuter market, ready for revenue service in 2026. The project expands on the successful research programme between Rolls-Royce and Widerøe on sustainable aviation and the existing partnership between Rolls-Royce and Tecnam on powering the all-electric P-Volt aircraft.

The collaboration offers an opportunity to develop an innovative solution to the commuter aircraft market. Before the pandemic, Widerøe offered around 400 flights per day using a network of 44 airports, where 74% of the flights have distances less than 275 km. The shortest flight durations are between seven and fifteen minutes. Developing all-electric aircraft will enable people to be connected in a sustainable way and will fulfill Wideroe’s ambition to make its first all-electric flight by 2026. The all-electric P-Volt aircraft, which is based on the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft is ideal for the short take-off and landing as well as for routes in the North and the West Coast of Norway.

Rolls-Royce and Widerøe announced a joint research programme in 2019. The aim of the programme was to evaluate and develop electrical aircraft concepts that would fulfil the Norwegian ambition of having the first electrified aircraft in ordinary domestic scheduled flights by 2030 and 80% emission reduction in domestic flights by 2040.

Rolls-Royce also has an existing strategic partnership with Tecnam to develop the modified Tecnam P2010 aircraft with the H3PS propulsion system, the first parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system for General Aviation started together with Rotax in May 2018.

Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre

This June saw Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, formally launch Airbus’ Aerospace Integrated Research and Test Centre (AIRTeC) in Filton, Bristol.

AIRTeC is a £40 million, state-of-the-art research and testing facility jointly funded by the Government's ATI programme and Airbus. Covering more than 10,000m2 of gross internal floor space - the equivalent of two football pitches - the Centre is designed to undertake structural testing of large-scale aircraft assemblies, from full-size wings down to the individual components and materials used in aircraft design.  It provides the most advanced working environment and tools for Airbus alongside external suppliers, partners, and academia, to deliver the next generation of aircraft wing, landing-gear systems and fuel system designs.

Furthermore, the facility is a key asset in helping industry accelerate the design, manufacture, testing, certification, infrastructure, and commercial operation of zero-emission aircraft through sustained investment in R&T and R&D and fostering greater collaboration across sectors.

Companies in other sectors, such as maritime and nuclear, along with universities can also utilise AIRTeC's innovative, highly flexible, and easily adaptable environment, which includes 65,000m² of state-of-the-art specialist test space, a 40-metre-long strong floor, and a 14 x 10m strong wall capable of testing full-size wings - with a force equivalent to the weight of 240 cars – using a 25MN high-capacity loading test machine.

The facility also includes labs, collaborative office space, and reconfigurable testing areas. This combination of test assets is unique in Europe. The facility will enable Airbus and its partners to develop new and cutting-edge designs and is central to Airbus' Wing of Tomorrow programme, which is exploring the best materials, manufacturing, and assembly techniques to help deliver more fuel-efficient, cleaner aircraft. The Airbus Filton site is also home to a 3D-printing plateau and digital manufacturing laboratory, as well as the Airbus low-speed wind tunnel.