Over 1,200 new jobs will be created in Doncaster from the construction of eco-friendly aeroplanes.
The Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, approved plans to invest a £7 million loan into the company Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) to build its new fleet of aircraft in Doncaster.
Green technology specialists HAV are UK-based, and will create over a thousand “highly skilled” jobs in South Yorkshire.
Their Airlander 10 vehicle creates 90% less emissions per passenger than a standard aeroplane, and can carry up to 100 people.
Mr Coppard said: “I was elected as South Yorkshire’s Mayor on a pledge to build on our world-leading assets in the region and create a bigger, smarter and greener economy.
“We have a world-class cluster of companies working at the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing and green technology, so I’m genuinely excited that we can support HAV in their ambitions to build a sustainable aviation cluster here in Doncaster.”
HAV aims to have completed its first orders to customers by 2026. After that, it will construct 12 planes per year in Doncaster.
Chief Executive of Hybrid Air Vehicles, Tom Grundy, said: “ At Hybrid Air Vehicles we are revolutionising views of what aviation is, and Airlander is designed for us to rethink the skies.
“We will work with outstanding regional partners, including Mayor Ros Jones and Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Doncaster UTC, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and the University of Sheffield, to establish a world-leading cluster for green aerospace technologies, skills and supply chains.”
