HEART Consortium awarded innovation funding for future of flight

The Project HEART Consortium, of which Mott MacDonald is a member, has been selected as one of the winners of the Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge.

Launched by Innovate UK in 2021, the Future Flight Challenge Phase 3 is funding projects to develop and demonstrate innovations in aerospace systems and operation, as well as new vehicle technologies.

The HEART Consortium, which stands for Hydrogen Electric Autonomous Regional Transport, has been awarded £10M under the scheme to develop and demonstrate a new business model for sub-regional aviation using hydrogen-electric powered, highly automated, zero-carbon aircraft in a framework that is cost-effective, safe, reliable, and commercially viable.

As a member of the Consortium, Mott MacDonald has been tasked with modelling terminal facility requirements and sizing, supporting the definition of the end-to-end customer, aircraft, baggage and cargo journeys and supporting a digital integration strategy across the journey and energy strategies.

“We know that the aviation sector must decarbonise if we are to meet the challenges posed by the climate emergency, whether it’s small aircraft at small airfields or high volume through large airports,” said John Reavy, director of airports and aviation, Mott MacDonald.

“We are proud to be working alongside our colleagues across the industry at the forefront of this challenge by engaging on a project to transport the operation of regional aircraft networks by giving remote communities the option of sustainable air transport.”

Led by Blue Bear Systems Research, the HEART Consortium assembles a best-of-class consortium of 14 organisations that brings together world leaders in aircraft automation, BVLOS operations, hydrogen-electric power-train integration, hydrogen fuel infrastructure, quantum key security providers, infrastructure architects and universities with operational airlines, airports, digital airport and aviation service providers.

The Project HEART Phase 3 consortium also includes partners Arqit, Britten-Norman, Edinburgh Napier University, FOD Mobility Group, Geneo, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, Protium, Loganair Limited, Mott MacDonald, RDM Group, Saab UK, Weston Williamson + Partners and ZeroAvia. This team of 14 organisations are fully united behind a shared vision of a future sub-regional aviation.