The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander has been around since the mid-1960s, but this familiar, humble aircraft type is firmly at the cutting edge of civil aviation in the effort to make zero-emissions flight a reality. This is down to work being done by Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS), the commercial spin-off of the world-renowned Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, to the north of London. which is currently modifying an Islander at Cranfield Airport, giving it a hydrogen fuel cell system. Cranfield Aerospace Solutions chief executive officer Paul Hutton wrote in December 2022: "Significant progress can be made - and is being made -within RD for larger aircraft powered by hydrogen, with larger aircraft potentially using hydrogen combustion from the mid-20303. But from now until then we do not have to wait. Hydrogen technology in aviation is closer than you think." CAeS plans to fly the modified Islander in either late 2023 or early 2024. followed by certification and industrialisation. It is envisaged that passenger services on 'sub-regional' routes of around 200km range and one hour's flight duration using the aircraft could start as early as 2026.
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