The Red Sea Development Company...

"We've had to become much more than a real estate developer; we are an incubator of ideas," says CEO

ZeroAvia, a leader in developing zero-emission flight solutions for commercial aviation, has signed a partnership deal with Saudi Arabia's The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) to test and develop zero-emission travel across its new luxury tourism destination.

The partnership is part of TRSDC's ambition to offer sustainable connectivity across its destination. Under this agreement, the two entities will work together to develop the technology, including collaborating on a roadmap for delivering the production, supply and infrastructure necessary to support hydrogen-powered air travel in Saudi Arabia.

TRSDC plans to operate a fleet of around 30 seaplane variants of the Cessna Caravan to transport guests across the destination and has commissioned ZeroAvia to explore retrofitting the planes with its powertrain technology and test its viability for offering clean, commercial travel.

The TRSDC project is being developed over 28,000sqkm along Saudi Arabia's west coast and includes a vast archipelago of more than 90 islands. The destination also features canyons, dormant volcanoes, and ancient cultural and heritage sites.

Offering hotels and residential properties, as well as leisure, commercial and entertainment amenities, the project will also support infrastructure to produce renewable energy and water conservation and re-use, and circular waste management systems to achieve zero waste to landfill.

Commenting on the partnership, TRSDC CEO John Pagano said: "In order to achieve our ambitions, we've had to become much more than a real estate developer. We are an incubator of ideas, leveraging the most innovative concepts and technologies to help us deliver a new archetype for tourism, which pushes beyond sustainability to deliver regeneration for people and planet. Clean, green transport is fundamental to realising that aim, which is why we're working with forward-thinking partners such as ZeroAvia, to bring about a new way of travelling."

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ZeroAvia VP business development James Peck said: "TRSDC recognises the potential of zero-emission propulsion in ensuring that travel across the resort plays its part in the overall sustainability ambitions of the project. Trialing ZeroAvia's 600kW hydrogen-electric powertrains for the Caravan means tourists could be taking these zero-emission flights to the destination by the middle of this decade."

For more information, visit www.theredsea.sa