BERGEN,
Norway, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In
April 2024, Avinor and the Civil
Aviation Authority entered a collaboration to establish Norway as
an international test arena for zero- and low-emission aviation. On
March 4, 2025, the first formal
agreement for demonstration flights was signed at Bergen Airport,
Flesland, with American aircraft manufacturer BETA Technologies and
Bristow Norway AS, a subsidiary of Bristow Group Inc.
Demonstration Flights Start in Q3
The demonstration flights will be cargo flights without
passengers, conducted using BETA's ALIA CX300 conventional take-off
and landing (eCTOL) aircraft, which will be flown by Bristow Norway. The cargo flights will operate
initially between Stavanger Airport and Bergen Airport, starting
from Stavanger in late summer, with the entire route commencing
later in the fall.
BETA recently completed the production build of the ALIA
aircraft that will perform these demonstrations. The aircraft,
BETA's second production-intent vehicle, was manufactured at the
company's scaled production factory in Burlington, Vermont, USA and has already
received airworthiness certification for VFR, IFR, day and night
flying from the FAA. It will arrive in Norway later this year.
Government Ambitions through the Aviation Strategy and the
National Transport Plan
"The government's goal in the National Aviation Strategy and the
National Transport Plan 2025–2036 (NTP) is to accelerate the
transition to zero- and low-emission aviation. To achieve this,
one billion kroner has been allocated
in the NTP. The first major initiative is the establishment of
Norway as an international test arena for zero- and low-emission
aircraft", says Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård.
"With an aviation industry committed to reducing emissions, a
decentralized network of airports of various sizes, a
significant regional air transport market, a proactive aviation
authority, and a supplier industry specializing in battery-electric
propulsion systems and hydrogen technology, we have a strong
foundation for the early adoption of new technologies," says the
Minister of Transport.
Broad Involvement
The goal of the test arena is to gain knowledge, learning, and
to prepare the ecosystem and set the foundation for scaling. This
means involving airlines, manufacturers, supplier industries, the
energy sector, and other stakeholders.
"Avinor's role is to facilitate the infrastructure at airports
and make the airspace available for actors who wish to test various
zero- and low-emission aircraft in an operational environment. We
seek more knowledge about what different technologies and aircraft
require in terms of airport facilities and necessary energy supply
needs. For example, we currently have a procurement process
underway for fast chargers for electric aircraft in Bergen and Stavanger to accommodate the first
test flight," says Karianne Helland
Strand, Executive Vice President for Sustainability,
Concept, and Infrastructure Development at Avinor.
"Aviation is a safe mode of transport and a well-regulated
sector. As the aviation authority, we will ensure that new
technologies can be tested in accordance with regulations. We will
learn how regulations and frameworks need to evolve to enable new
technologies and concepts. Through this, we will build the
necessary expertise early on for the solutions of tomorrow.
We are now establishing a connection point between the aviation
industry and the support system in line with the government's
objectives," says Director General of Civil Aviation, Lars Kobberstad.
"We see great value in real-world demonstrations, both to
understand performance and mission fit, but also to bring local
communities in what this technology offers," said Patrick Buckles, BETA's Sales Lead. "This year,
as we operationalize this technology, we're excited to showcase how
its low-cost, high-reliability operations can serve markets all
over the world, including Norway."
"This regulatory sandbox evaluation project exemplifies our
philosophy of crawl, walk, run for early adoption of new aviation
technologies and solidifies the commitment to our vision to be a
leader in innovative and sustainable aviation," said Dave Stepanek, Executive Vice President, Chief
Transformation Officer for Bristow Group. "Bristow Norway is proud and honored to partner
with this distinguished group of leaders in advanced air
mobility."
Several Milestones Throughout the Spring
Prior to activating the test arena, a supplier of chargers will
be selected for both Stavanger and Bergen, with a deadline for the delivery of a
charger to be installed at Stavanger Airport by June 1. Bergen Airport will have a mobile
charger, which is to be delivered by August
15.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure
This press
release contains "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking
statements represent Bristow Group Inc.'s ("Bristow") current
expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking
statements generally can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect,"
"intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "project," or
"continue," or other similar words, and include statements
regarding the expected benefits of the fleet support and training
agreements disclosed herein. These statements are made under the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995, reflect management's current views with respect to
future events and therefore are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties, both known and unknown. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, such forward-looking statements
include statements regarding the capabilities, development,
certification, marketing, and future operations of BETA electric
aircraft and the anticipated benefits of the collaboration among
Avinor, the Civil Aviation Authority Norway, BETA and Bristow.
Bristow's actual results may vary materially from those anticipated
in forward-looking statements. Bristow cautions investors not to
place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the
document in which they are made. Bristow disclaims any obligation
or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any
forward-looking statement to reflect any change in Bristow's
expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances
on which the forward-looking statement is based that occur after
the date hereof, except as may be required by applicable law. You
should not place undue reliance on Bristow's forward-looking
statements because the matters they describe are subject to known
and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other unpredictable factors,
many of which are beyond Bristow's control. New risks and
uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us
to predict these matters or how they may affect us. We have
included important factors in the section entitled "Risk Factors"
in Bristow's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2024 (the "Annual
Report") which we believe over time, could cause Bristow's actual
results, performance, or achievements to differ from the
anticipated results, performance or achievements that are expressed
or implied by Bristow's forward-looking statements. You should
consider all risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Annual Report
and in Bristow's filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), all of which are accessible on the
SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
About Avinor
Avinor is a wholly owned state limited company under the
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications and is
responsible for 44 state-owned airports. Avinor has taken a leading
role in reducing climate gas emissions from the aviation industry,
including the development of electric aircraft, and supplying
sustainable aviation fuel. Avinor provides safe and efficient
travels for around 50 million passengers annually, half of which
travel to and from Oslo Airport. Around 3,000 employees are
responsible for planning, developing, and operating an efficient
airport and air navigation service. Avinor is financed via airport
charges and commercial sales. The air navigation services are
organized as a subsidiary wholly owned by Avinor. Avinor is
headquartered in Oslo.
About CAA Norway
CAA Norway's main objective is to contribute to safe, societally
beneficial, and sustainable aviation. As an aviation authority, CAA
Norway, in collaboration with EASA, will contribute to regulatory
facilitation and learning. The purpose is to enable safe testing
and phasing in of new technologies in an ecosystem. It will also
enable the regulators to identify the need for regulatory changes
and to ensure that approval and certification processes are well
prepared and can be carried out efficiently. CAA Norway's main
office is in Bodø in the northern part of Norway.
About BETA Technologies
BETA Technologies is an electric aerospace company that is
creating a new paradigm for transporting goods and people, making
it greener, safer, and more efficient. To do this, we are building
an electric transportation system that includes net-zero,
all-electric aircraft and a cross-country, multimodal charging
infrastructure to support various types of EVs.
Safety, simplicity, and pragmatism are at the heart of
everything we do, from the design of our products to our approach
to the market. The team brings experience from top global
organizations, and takes a hands-on, multi-disciplinary approach to
problem-solving and innovation. To foster a deep understanding of
aircraft, engineering, and a connection to the mission, each BETA
team member has the opportunity to become flight-certified at no
cost.
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading global provider of innovative
and sustainable vertical flight solutions. Bristow primarily
provides aviation services to a broad base of offshore energy
companies and government entities. Our aviation services include
personnel transportation, search and rescue ("SAR"), medevac, fixed
wing transportation, unmanned systems and ad-hoc helicopter
services. Our business is comprised of three operating segments:
Offshore Energy Services, Government Services and Other Services.
Our energy customers charter our helicopters primarily to transport
personnel to, from and between onshore bases and offshore
production platforms, drilling rigs and other installations. Our
government customers primarily outsource SAR activities whereby we
operate specialized helicopters and provide highly trained
personnel. Our other services include fixed wing transportation
services through a regional airline and dry-leasing aircraft to
third-party operators in support of other industries and geographic
markets.
Bristow currently has customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, India, Ireland, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia, Mexico,
the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad, the United
Kingdom ("UK") and the United
States ("U.S.").
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