Fokker Next Gen

Fokker Next Gen is the current identity of a Dutch aerospace venture that traces its origins to Rekkof Restart, a company established in 1996 after the bankruptcy of Fokker. Its original objective was to restart production of upgraded versions of the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 regional jets, whose manufacture had ended when Fokker entered bankruptcy proceedings. The venture acquired tooling associated with those aircraft and initially considered producing substantially unchanged versions before moving toward more extensively modernized derivatives. The proposed aircraft family evolved through several names and concepts. An early concept was the Fokker 90NG, a roughly 100-seat regional jet derived from the Fokker 70. The program later focused on the Fokker 120NG and then the longer Fokker 130NG, which was designed around changing market expectations and was described as having capacity for approximately 130 to 138 passengers. The proposed 130NG incorporated a new cabin, updated avionics, fly-by-wire controls, wingtip devices known as sharklets, and Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1217G engines. The company argued that an updated Fokker design could compete with newer regional aircraft associated with manufacturers such as Embraer and Bombardier Aerospace. The project attracted expressions of commercial and financial interest but did not reach production. In 2007, Premion and VLM Airlines were reported to have placed orders for 25 Fokker 100NG aircraft, while Mubadala discussed a possible investment of approximately US$1 billion. That investment did not materialize. A further potential investment of approximately US$1 billion was discussed with an unnamed investor in late 2014, but it also failed to close. In 2010, the Dutch government granted the company a €20 million loan connected with the acquisition of the Fokker 100 test aircraft PH-MKH from Fokker Technologies. The company considered Dutch assembly locations including Lelystad Airport and Enschede Airport Twente, while assembly or industrial cooperation in India and Brazil was also discussed. A planned parts facility in Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil, began construction in 2011 but was suspended during the European economic crisis. From 2010 through 2023, publicly visible progress on the aircraft program appeared limited. Parliamentary materials indicated that the company had not yet been able to provide the required private co-financing for development, and public reporting noted the absence of a detailed report on the spending of government-provided funds. The venture nevertheless continued to present aircraft concepts and retained the ambition of reviving Dutch regional-aircraft manufacturing. In 2023, after a prolonged period without substantial public program updates, the company re-emerged under the Fokker Next Gen name. The new strategy moved beyond a conventional re-engined Fokker derivative and emphasized an entirely new regional airliner powered by liquid hydrogen combustion. The aircraft’s final public name had not been disclosed in the referenced material. Fokker Next Gen has stated an intended entry into service and customer delivery target of 2035. Before that aircraft, the company plans to retrofit an existing Fokker 100 with hydrogen engines, with an intended first hydrogen flight test in 2028. The program has also sought airline input. On 13 May 2024, airBaltic and Fokker Next Gen signed a memorandum of understanding concerning cooperation on hydrogen-powered aircraft, including the incorporation of end-user feedback into the design and development of the planned aircraft. Fokker Next Gen is part of Panta Holdings BV, which also owns Fokker Services and Fokker Techniek, businesses that remained associated with the Fokker industrial legacy after the 1996 bankruptcy. The company is therefore best understood as an early-stage aerospace developer and prospective aircraft manufacturer rather than an established producer of commercial aircraft.

Fokker Next Gen originated in 1996 as Rekkof Restart, a name derived from spelling Fokker backward. The venture was created after Fokker’s bankruptcy with the ambition of restoring production of the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 regional jets. It acquired tooling during the bankruptcy period and initially contemplated building aircraft with few changes. The plan subsequently shifted toward upgraded derivatives intended to address the competitive and operational requirements of the regional-jet market. The development concepts changed over time. The proposed Fokker 90NG was associated with the Fokker 70 and a capacity of about 100 passengers. The project then moved toward the Fokker 120NG and the longer Fokker 130NG. The latter was described as a 130- to 138-seat aircraft with a revised interior, modern avionics, fly-by-wire controls, sharklets, and Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1217G engines. The company believed such an aircraft could compete with contemporary regional jets from Embraer and Bombardier Aerospace. Commercial and investment discussions produced several moments of optimism but no production aircraft. Premion and VLM Airlines were reported in 2007 to have ordered 25 Fokker 100NG aircraft. Mubadala also discussed a possible investment of approximately US$1 billion, although the transaction was never completed. Another possible investment of approximately US$1 billion was discussed with an unnamed investor in 2014, but that proposal likewise did not close. Public support and industrial planning continued during this period. In 2010, the Dutch government granted a €20 million loan tied to the acquisition of the Fokker 100 test aircraft PH-MKH from Fokker Technologies. The company preferred Dutch final assembly and identified Lelystad Airport and Enschede Airport Twente as possible sites. It also considered international industrial arrangements: an Indian assembly proposal was discussed with Cades Digitech, while a parts plant began construction in Anápolis, in the Brazilian state of Goiás, in November 2011. The Brazilian works were later suspended amid the European crisis, and the company subsequently indicated that certification considerations favored keeping aircraft assembly in the Netherlands. Between 2010 and 2023, the program showed little apparent development in public view. Parliamentary documentation indicated that the company had not secured the co-financing needed for development. Reporting also raised questions about the absence of a publicly available detailed account of the use of government-supplied funds. The company continued to visualize and promote the aircraft concept, but the Fokker 90NG, Fokker 120NG, and Fokker 130NG did not enter production. In 2023, the venture returned publicly as Fokker Next Gen. Its renewed program was substantially more ambitious technologically: rather than merely restarting or re-engining an existing Fokker regional jet, the company proposed a new regional airliner using hydrogen propulsion. The aircraft’s public name had not yet been disclosed in the referenced material, and the company stated an intended 2035 launch and delivery timeframe. As an intermediate step, it planned to convert an existing Fokker 100 for hydrogen propulsion, with a first flight test targeted for 2028. The company’s development approach includes airline participation. On 13 May 2024, it signed a memorandum of understanding with airBaltic covering cooperation on hydrogen-powered aircraft and the integration of airline end-user feedback into the design process. Fokker Next Gen operates within Panta Holdings BV, alongside Fokker Services and Fokker Techniek. These companies preserve parts of the Fokker industrial heritage after the original Fokker company’s 1996 bankruptcy. Fokker Next Gen remains a development-stage aerospace enterprise, and the referenced material does not establish that it has manufactured or delivered a new commercial aircraft.

• 2024

  AirBaltic cooperation memorandum

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  Fokker Next Gen and airBaltic signed a memorandum concerning cooperation and airline feedback for hydrogen-powered aircraft development.

• 2023

  Re-emergence as Fokker Next Gen

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  The company announced a new hydrogen-powered regional-airliner program and a hydrogen Fokker 100 retrofit as an intermediate demonstrator.

• 2011

  Brazilian parts-plant construction begins

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on a proposed aircraft-parts facility in Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil; the work was later suspended.

• 2010

  Dutch government development loan

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  The Dutch government granted a €20 million loan connected with acquiring the PH-MKH Fokker 100 test aircraft.

• 2007

  Reported Fokker 100NG orders and investment discussions

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  Premion and VLM Airlines were reported to have ordered 25 Fokker 100NG aircraft, while Mubadala discussed a possible investment that ultimately did not materialize.

• 1996

  Formation as Rekkof Restart

  [1]Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org

  The company was established after Fokker’s bankruptcy to pursue renewed production of the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 regional jets.

A Dutch aerospace developer seeking to revive the Fokker regional-aircraft tradition through modernized aircraft concepts and hydrogen propulsion.

• Regional jet

  NAC Fokker 90NG

  A proposed approximately 100-seat regional jet derived from the Fokker 70. It represented one of the company’s early efforts to restart and modernize Fokker regional-aircraft production after the 1996 bankruptcy. The concept did not reach production.

• Regional jet

  NAC Fokker F130 NG

  A proposed stretched regional aircraft based on the Fokker 100. The concept was described as carrying approximately 130 to 138 passengers and incorporating a new cabin, updated avionics, fly-by-wire controls, sharklets, and Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1217G engines. It never entered production.

• Technology demonstrator

  Hydrogen-converted Fokker 100

  A planned conversion of an existing Fokker 100 to hydrogen propulsion. Fokker Next Gen has described the aircraft as an intermediate step before developing its new hydrogen-powered regional airliner, with a first flight test targeted for 2028.

• Regional airliner · 2023

  Fokker Next Gen hydrogen-powered regional airliner

  An unnamed new regional passenger aircraft proposed by Fokker Next Gen and designed around liquid-hydrogen combustion propulsion. Publicly released material describes the aircraft as a clean-sheet development rather than simply a conventional Fokker 70 or Fokker 100 restart. The company has stated an intended launch and customer-delivery timeframe of 2035, but the design, specifications, certification status, and production plan remain developmental.

• 2024

  AirBaltic end-user collaborationStrategy

  Background

  Fokker Next Gen sought airline input for its planned hydrogen-powered regional aircraft.

  Action taken

  The company signed a memorandum of understanding with airBaltic on 13 May 2024 covering cooperation and the use of end-user feedback in design and development.

  Aftermath

  The memorandum established cooperation but did not constitute evidence of an aircraft purchase, firm order, or entry into service.

  Source

• 2023

  Shift from Fokker derivatives to hydrogen propulsionStrategy

  Background

  After years of limited visible progress on proposed conventional Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 derivatives, the rebranded company presented a new strategy centered on a new hydrogen-powered regional airliner.

  Action taken

  Fokker Next Gen announced plans for a liquid-hydrogen combustion aircraft targeted for launch and delivery in 2035, while retaining a planned hydrogen Fokker 100 retrofit as an earlier test program.

  Aftermath

  The strategy was followed by cooperation with airBaltic to incorporate airline feedback into the aircraft’s design and development. The aircraft had not entered production in the referenced material.

  Source

1. 1Fokker Next Genen.wikipedia.org