Zephyr units world-record for longest steady flight, flying 67 days in stratosphere – sUAS Information

• Zephyr breaks its personal report of 64 days flight within the stratosphere, after years of successive information for unmanned flights all through twenty years of improvement
• File flight noticed advances in Zephyr’s efficiency, together with crossing the ITCZ and navigating quite a few flight data areas
• Established by Airbus to commercialise Zephyr, AALTO is now in a powerful place to progress its journey to commercialise HAPS companies by 2026

Nairobi, Kenya: AALTO HAPS Ltd. (“AALTO” or “the Firm”), an Airbus subsidiary based mostly in Farnborough, UK, has set a world-record for international aviation with its Zephyr Excessive Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). Designed, manufactured and operated by AALTO, Zephyr concluded 67 days, 6 hours and 52 minutes of steady flight within the stratosphere on 28 April 2025. This surpassed Zephyr’s earlier flight report of 64 days in 2022, and breaks the world-record for longest flight length that has stood for half a century.

After launching from its AALTOPORT in Kenya on 20 February 2025, Zephyr performed connectivity payload testing earlier than transiting to Australian airspace. Throughout this transit, Zephyr navigated 7 completely different flight data areas, essentially the most ever recorded by a HAPS. As well as, the plane crossed the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) twice – an indication of Zephyr’s stability and efficiency throughout altering climate situations in southern and northern hemispheres.

The record-breaking flight terminated safely over a chosen aviation sanctuary space within the Indian ocean. Related authorities had been promptly notified by AALTO.

After a decade of stewardship by Airbus Defence and House, Zephyr has established itself because the main HAPS platform on the earth. Zephyr’s most up-to-date record-breaking flight was facilitated by a regulatory framework in Kenya, led by the Kenya House Company and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. With the assist of its regulators, shareholders and companions, AALTO is getting ready to commercialise HAPS companies with preliminary focused entry-into-service in Japan throughout 2026.

Hughes Boulnois, Chief Government Officer of AALTO, commented: “AALTO and Zephyr are on the forefront of innovation in aerospace. With this new world-record flight, we have now pushed the boundaries once more for the burgeoning HAPS business and aviation globally with a solar-powered, stratospheric plane. Stewarding essentially the most superior HAPS, we have now demonstrated our capabilities which are worthwhile for business and authorities companions. Our focus for 2025 is constant to combine HAPS into the area, defence and connectivity ecosystems: progressing the business part for this pioneering expertise.”

Pierre-Antoine Aubourg, Chief Expertise Officer, added: “Zephyr is a singular plane. Its efficiency throughout this flight underlines its technological robustness, compliance with flight procedures and security fashions. Zephyr’s flight envelope is essentially the most superior in international HAPS, enabling protected and dependable efficiency and most oversight by AALTO and regulatory authorities. As we proceed to business companies, we’ll proceed to interrupt new floor for aviation security and efficiency.”

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