Cargo Facts Connect

Boston-based Merlin and its New Zealand-based affiliate, Merlin NZ, are working hard to certify the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight software in New Zealand next year.

Merlin NZ is prepared to shoulder the load to ensure Merlin Pilot is put into commercial freighter service after certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ), Merlin NZ Chief Executive Grant Crenfeldt says in this week's episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“At that point, [we would say that] Merlin, a technology organization, has the Merlin Pilot installed into the Cessna Caravan that we have here in New Zealand,” Crenfeldt says. “And then we’ll take that aircraft, put it onto the Merlin airline AOC, similar to how a fully certified aircraft goes on to a certificate, and then we start flying commercial freight routes using that aircraft.”

The anticipated approval of the Merlin Pilot by the CAANZ in 2027 would represent the first time a conventionally crewed fixed-wing aircraft equipped with autonomous flight technology enters revenue cargo service, Crenfeldt says.

Merlin is already looking beyond New Zealand and setting its sights on obtaining FAA certification.

“The CAANZ and the FAA have a bilateral agreement, which means that if one or the other regulator certifies something, then the other regulator can choose to apply the amount of due diligence to that certification before they approve it as well,” Crenfeldt says.

Merlin's technology, for which it obtained an experimental certificate of airworthiness from the CAANZ in 2025, is designed to operate existing aircraft in commercial airspace without requiring changes to air traffic management procedures, he says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Crenfeldt speak with Editor Jeff Lee, Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke and Associate Editor Jay Aelick.

What is Cargo Facts Connect?

Cargo Facts Connect addresses all things freighters and aircraft. Connect delves into what's new in freighter transactions, belly capacity trends, conversion activity and aircraft finance. Brought to you by Cargo Facts, long the industry's leading information resource on freighter aircraft, Cargo Facts Connect gets you inside the freighter business.

Cargo Facts has been the newsletter of record of the air cargo and freighter aircraft industries for over 40 years. Cargo Facts, published by Royal Media, provides its readers with timely, actionable news and industry intelligence. The deep value in Cargo Facts centers on its detailed coverage of the market and exploration of every nuance of air cargo and freighter aircraft.

Cargo Facts offers a Premium subscription service, which includes a digital monthly newsletter, a weekly email Update, exclusive event discounts, and more. The Cargo Facts Premium subscription provides its subscribers with unparalleled coverage of the market. Subscribe now at https://cargofacts.com/subscribe/.

Cargo Facts produces the following leading industry events: Cargo Facts EMEA, Cargo Facts Asia and the Cargo Facts Symposium.