Page 16 - World Airnews Magazine January 2021 Edition

SAF

PARTS FROM JOBURG TO

ZURICH

t the end of last year, Swiss
AWorld Cargo fl ew special cargo
onboard a B777-300ER from Johannesburg
to Zurich.
The cargo consisted of individual parts
that will be used to build the world's first

four-seater electric aircraft with a modular

battery system.
e-Sling, a focus project of the Swiss Fed-
eral Institute of Technology (ETH), received

the shipment in Zurich.
This special ETH project, launched in
September last year and is scheduled to run

until May 2021 this year and will see the
development and assembly of an adapted
electric aircraft.

The aircraft is based on the South African
Sling TSi model, and has a span width of the aforementioned sustainable electric parts into the cargo hold of our aircraft, as

10.5 metres. It will operate using a modular aircraft, which, once completed, can be well as where in the cargo hold they would
battery system as well as an electric motor, used for a wide variety of purposes. be best positioned. Ahead of the journey,

and is expected to fly up to 250 kilometres The engineers are ETH students, who this necessitated close contact with both
in distance at a speed of up to 160 kilome- are interested in being part of the e-Sling and Swissport, Swiss World Cargo’s
tres/hour. development of this next-generation ramp handling partners in Johannesburg
The e-Sling team consists of 12 electri- airplane model. and South Africa, responsible for the load-

cal and mechanical engineers, who are Initially, an analysis was conducted in ing and unloading of individual parts onto
focused on the assembly and launch of order to assess how to load the largest the aircraft. Q

GABON BIOFUEL PLANT

lam Palm is se�ng up a new

Oplant producing biofuel from
palm oil in Gabon.

The Singapore-based multinational

firm will construct the plant in the
southern part of Libreville, on an area of

five hectares not far from the port, after

obtaining all the regulatory authorisa-
tions for the production of biofuel in the

African country.
The site was picked because it offers

easy access for importing equipment

and exporting by-products from palm of the palm oil sector as the country capacity of 200 tonnes, in addition

oil processing. concentrates more on the preservation to a palm oil refinery with a produc-

The construction and commissioning of the environment and the fight against tion capacity of 750 tonnes a day in

of this biodiesel plant should provide climate change. the country.
hundreds of direct and indirect jobs. Olam Palm firmly believes that this A company spokesman said, “It pres-

For the government, the production project will bring Gabon into a new era. ents itself as the largest sustainable pro-

of biofuel will be less polluting and will The company already operates a ducer of palm oil on a concession with a

also strengthen the competitiveness consumer oil packaging unit with a total area of 202,000 ha in Gabon.” Q

World Airnews | January 2021
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