easyJet welcomes partner Wright Electric’s announcement on its engine development program for 186 seat electric aircraft

• easyJet welcomes this important milestone which is a crucial step on the path to electric commercial aircraft
• Wright Electric announces that it is working with BAE Systems to accelerate the new technology
• Wright Electric has unveiled design concepts for a 186 seater electric plane engine development program this week and set out a timeline for its testing programme

LONDON, UK, 2020-Jan-31 — /Travel PR News/ — easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, today (JANUARY / 30 2020) welcomed the announcement by its partner Wright Electric on its engine development program for its flagship 186 seat electric aircraft, named Wright 1.

Wright is engineering electrical systems at the megawatt scale which will be necessary for commercial flight for its 186 seat electric aircraft. It is building a 1.5 MW electric motor and inverter at 3 kilovolts. These components will form the powerplant of Wright’s revolutionary Wright 1 aircraft and move towards aiming to pave the way for a future of zero emissions flight in Europe and worldwide.

Wright Electric is in discussions with BAE Systems relating to flight controls and energy management systems. Wright intends to conduct ground tests of its motor in 2021 and flight tests in 2023. At an event the company held in New York City on January 30, Wright demonstrated a preview of its motor and fan. Wright also announced that it is moving its headquarters to Albany, NY to take advantage of the world-class engineering talent there.

The motor development program is the next step towards building its narrowbody class aircraft. Wright will be simultaneously conducting aerodynamic tests on its fuselage, which will inform the propulsion design. The company expects entry of service of its flagship Wright 1 in 2030. A number of government agencies in the United States are aiding research by providing funding into electric aviation including NASA and Air Force Research Laboratory.

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, commented: “This is another crucial step for our partner Wright Electric to move towards the introduction of commercial electric aircraft and it is exciting to see their ambitious timeline for testing and entry into service.

“Battery technology is advancing at pace with numerous US government agencies now funding research into electric aviation– all of these developments help us to more clearly see a future of more sustainable operations.

“We know it is important to our customers that we operate as sustainably as possible – our carbon offsetting programme has been positively received by our customers and we have now offset more than nine million passenger journeys – but we are clear this is an interim solution until new technologies become available and we can see more clearly than ever a future that is not exclusively reliable on jet fuel.”

Jeffrey Engler, CEO of Wright Electric, added: “Wright Electric is dedicated to bringing low-emissions 186 seat electric planes systems to market. Wright Electric’s mission is to make commercial aviation greener, and our megawatt engine program is the next step in making our mission a reality.”

Dr. Ehtisham Siddiqui, Vice President and General Manager of Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, commented: “We are discussing collaboration opportunities with Wright Electric on the development of flight controls and energy management systems for its electric aircraft. Our new development builds on decades of experience in both domains, as we strive to shape the future of flight.”

easyJet has a long tradition of efficient flying – the aircraft the airline flies and the way it flies them means that easyJet is already more efficient than many airlines. The airline’s priority is to continue to work on reducing its carbon footprint in the short term, coupled with long-term work to support the development of new technology, including its partnership with Wright Electric on the development of electric planes which aspire to radically reduce the carbon footprint of aviation.

In the meantime easyJet has become the first major airline to offset the fuel from all of its flights.  Carbon offsetting is only an interim measure while new technologies are developed which is why we continue to support the development of innovative technology so aviation can be de-carbonised over the long-term. The aim will be for easyJet to reduce the amount of carbon offsetting undertaken as new technologies emerge.

About easyJet

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline and carries more than 96 million passengers annually – more than 16 million travelling for business. easyJet flies over 334 aircraft on 1061 routes to 159 airports across 36 countries. Over 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in eight countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £13m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

The airline takes sustainability seriously and is the first major airline to operate net-zero carbon flights across its whole network. The airline is achieving this goal by offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of its flights. The airline sees this as an interim measure until new technology becomes available to de-carbonise aviation. In the meantime, easyJet will continue to support innovative technology, operate efficiently and aim to fill most of its seats. Since 2000 easyJet has reduced the carbon emissions for each kilometre flown by a passenger by over one-third (33.67%) and has a target to reach a 38% reduction by 2022.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – from our launch over almost 25 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for our passengers.

The airline was recently named as Britain’s Most Admired Company of 2019 in the transport sector. Britain’s Most Admired Companies study is the longest-running annual survey of corporate reputation in the UK.

About BAE Systems

BAE Systems provides some of the world’s most advanced, technology-led defense, aerospace, and security solutions. The company employs a skilled workforce of 83,200 people in more than 30 countries. Working with customers and local partners, BAE Systems develops, engineers, manufactures, and supports products and systems to deliver military capability, protect national security and people, and keep critical information and infrastructure secure.

For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252, log onto www.easyjet.com or follow @easyJet_Press

For information about BAE Systems, please contact Anthony DeAngelis at 603-885-4922 or at anthony.deangelis@baesystems.com.

Source: easyJet

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