Partnership will Open Pathway to Hypothetical Hydrogen Demo Flights to EU Destinations in 2024

ZeroAvia has announced a new agreement with Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, an organization dedicated to bolstering the advancement and progression of next-gen sustainability in the Dutch airport.

The partnership will pave the way for the eventual start of hydrogen-powered demonstration flights from Rotterdam to locales throughout Europe, expected to start by the end of 2024. Of course, such a development is subject to a litany of changes and issues, in everything from the supply of appropriate hydrogen fuels, to the actual installation of all the infrastructure needed to provide ground support to next-gen aircraft.

The company is making plenty of headway, however, recently completing the first flight of a Dornier Do228 demonstrator over the English pasture. In a short 10-minute test flight, a ZeroAvia ZA600 system worked as intended, making the 19-seater the largest aircraft to have flown on hydrogen power. Their Dornier flew with hydrogen-powered, fuel-cell batteries, operating more akin to a traditional battery system than other liquid hydrogen burning engines. The firm expects to deliver a 2 to 5-megawatt hybrid propulsion system, fully certified to fly, in 2023. After that, they plan for a 9 to 19-seat aircraft to be offered by 2025, sporting at least 300-mile range with similar maintenance and reliability seen by current-gen turboprop aircraft.

FMI: www.zeroavia.com