A Production Organisation Approval considers the manufacture and assembly aspects of aircraft production. This includes supply chain management, processes relating to manufacture and assembly, and the production facility itself.

The development follows the awarding of Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) covering manufacture and assembly.

Both Design Organisation Approval, which covers design activities and flight test, and the POA, are required to move forward into a type certification programme with the production Airlander 10, a revolutionary new type of airship.

HAV moved into its new production facility, the Airlander Technology Centre, in June and was ready to be audited within six months. The company says being able to achieve this approval in such a short time was thanks to the hard work from the production team, led by Ivor Pope.

In addition to preparing the facility, the team at Technology House has been working to establish rigorous supply chain and quality assurance processes.

“The POA approval is a significant milestone for HAV. It is the culmination of months of hard work and focused effort,” commented David Lindley, HAV’s head of aviation safety and quality assurance. “It demonstrates that the safety, quality assurance, and supply chain management processes are in place, along with the production facility.”

Executive director, Nick Allman, added: “Successfully being awarded our POA in the same year as our DOA is fantastic. The POA is the regulator’s stamp of approval for us to move ahead with the productionisation of Airlander 10 on the path to type certification. This puts us in a great position going into 2019.”

The Airlander can take off and land from virtually any flat surface and offers a powerful combination of flexibility, payload capacity, and efficiency. Suitable for roles from surveillance and border patrol to search and rescue and expeditionary tourism.

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