When creating a genuinely innovative product, it is important to draw on established knowledge but not be afraid to start with a completely blank piece of paper. When we started developing a more efficient oxygen system, we only identified very small gains by asking: “How can we make the oxygen source lighter?” However, by changing the question and asking: “How can we make the human body use the oxygen more efficiently?”, suddenly we opened the door to game-changing concepts.
Our first product, Cordillera, is therefore a revolutionary aircraft passenger emergency oxygen system which allows improved oxygenation in the body at high altitude through a unique patented gas mixture. Most existing chemical oxygen systems on the market can only provide oxygen for about 22 minutes, which means pilots must descend to a safe breathing altitude of typically 10,000ft within that time. Because Cordillera optimises oxygenation at a human physiological level, the system can be used at high altitude significantly longer, with between five to ten times longer duration for the same system weight.
As a result, Cordillera opens up the most efficient flight paths, allowing shorter routes without compromising passenger safety, as well as reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions and bringing wider sustainability benefits to airline operators. All of this is achieved in a system which can be retrofitted during the same time it takes to swap a chemical generator for calendar maintenance.
There are always challenges developing breakthrough technologies. Cordillera has been no exception. We have remained strong in the face of cynicism. Many people, whatever their motives, are quick to say a disruptive product will not work and we have fought that opposition with facts. We have listened, and considered, every criticism and then used it to inform how we take the next steps.
External partnerships
With any new aviation technology, the worst thing you can do is surprise the regulators with your new technology at the end of your design process. So, we actively engaged with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as we developed the concept and system, long before we reached a finalised system design. Getting expert regulator insight and feedback as early as possible, is a key risk mitigation for any innovative product.
Similarly, OEM support is crucial, which is why in September 2021, we signed a co-development partnership agreement with Airbus, focusing on maximising the benefits of our technology for the company’s aircraft models for both retrofit and future line-fit. Working with a major OEM will build wider industry confidence in our new technology and is a huge motivation for a small and focused team.
With support from our external partnership group, we have minimised our development risks, allowing us to target our first retrofit STC by summer 2022, with a line-fit solution following up soon after.
$400m+ annual savings
Through Cordillera, airlines will have unprecedented opportunities to safely navigate challenging high-terrain airways, such as L888 in the Himalayas.
No longer facing the limitations of existing oxygen systems, airlines using Cordillera will be able to fly more direct routes than ever before. We estimate this technology could save the airline industry $400m+ annually, with routes that benefit having an average 30 minute shorter sector time than before.
Short and long-term green ‘wins’
So where does Cordillera fit within the industry’s sustainability agenda? Well, it is my view, that as an industry, we should passionately pursue long-term ‘big wins’ in sustainable aviation, such as the benefits of electric aircraft propulsion (EP) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). However, Cordillera proves that there are significant ‘quick wins’ that can be exploited today, reducing our environmental impact well in advance of the future technologies reaching maturity. SAF will be more expensive than existing aviation fuel, and EP will have significant operational performance challenges, so products like Cordillera will not only deliver small to medium efficiency gains today but will one day prove to be essential partners for those game-changers of the future.
