ZeroAvia strikes hydrogen aviation fuel partnership with Masdar

ZeroAvia (Kemble, U.K. and Hollister, Calif., U.S.) has signed a partnership agreement with Masdar (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) to explore hydrogen production and supply at key locations. The partnership with the UAE’s flagship renewable energy company will initially focus on projects in North America and Europe, while also looking at the opportunity to establish clean flight operations in the UAE.

Masdar aims to be a global green hydrogen leader through a “smart first mover” approach, by developing and investing in strategic projects and building scalable platforms in key markets; the company’s Green Hydrogen division is already heavily involved in major aviation projects targeting this.

The UAE aims to produce 1.4 million tonnes of hydrogen annually by 2031 and expects the figure to increase tenfold to 15 million by 2050, showing the scale of the country’s ambitions. Masdar is deeply committed to building the UAE’s green hydrogen economy and has signed and executed several global collaboration agreements with strategic partners in recent years.

ZeroAvia says it is working with some of the world’s largest energy companies to convene the provision of fuel for its airline operator customers, as early as 2025. The company is targeting refueling onboard aircraft tanks for up to 90-seat aircraft at commercial airports by the end of this decade. With such aircraft requiring up to 1 ton of hydrogen per each short regional flight, even a small commercial airport can drive more than a hundred tons of demand daily. All this fuel can be produced via a zero-emission process using renewable electricity.

ZeroAvia recently completed a flight test campaign of the ZA600 engine aboard a Dornier 228 aircraft at its U.K. base in Kemble, Gloucestershire. Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only emission is water.

For related information, read “ZeroAvia advances to certify ZA600 in 2025, launch ZA2000 with liquid hydrogen in 2027.”