Organisers of a competition to operate the first carbon-free transatlantic flight have announced its first contenders, sponsors and the technical judging panel.
Sustainability organisation Carbon Footprint’s Freedom Flight Prize is designed to help decarbonise the industry. It is challenging entrants to complete a return trip from London to New York in a 100-plus seater passenger aircraft in 24 hours while releasing zero carbon emissions, with a multimillion-pound prize fund going to the winner.
The first contenders registered include UK-US outfit ZeroAvia and Okulu Aerospace and The ePlane Company, both based in India. The proposed solutions are based on hydrogen and electric-based propulsion systems.
A technical judging panel is chaired by physicist Dr Wendy Buckley and includes representatives of the University of Southampton, Cranfield University and Farnborough Airport.
Organisers expect the prize fund to exceed £10 million by 2025 and hope to have a winner by 2029.
“Freedom Flight Prize is thrilled to have its initial line up of contenders all with slightly different solutions and set to revolutionise the aviation industry,” said John Buckley, managing director of Carbon Footprint Ltd and Freedom Flight Prize.
“It’s also fantastic to see the first business sponsors getting behind the project as a really responsible way to help meet global carbon reduction goals.”
Among the sponsors are American Express Global Business Travel, whose director of ESG, Nora Lovell-Marchant, says: “Travel is a force for good in the world. It drives economies, creates growth and generates employment. But as we look to the future, a step-change is required to decarbonise aviation.
“To help drive the industry to net zero, we must invest and innovate now. We are therefore promoting sustainable aviation fuels and sponsoring the development of zero emission aircraft. The Freedom Flight Prize is an exciting initiative designed to accelerate the development of next-generation of aircraft so we can all fly more sustainably.”