ZeroAvia attracts fresh capital and gets Airbus on board

Hydrogen start-up ZeroAvia has attracted fresh capital from ten aerospace companies and investors. They include Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and NEOM as the lead investors. ZeroAvia hasn’t disclosed the size of the capital injection, but this sees them well-prepared to continue the development of their hydrogen-electric fuel-cell technology. ZeroAvia attracts fresh capital and gets Airbus on board.

In July, ZeroAvia completed the first phase of flight testing of its ZA-600 propulsion system on a reconfigured Dornier Do-228, which started in January

at Cotswold Airport. Phases I consisted of ten flights. The project is now progressing toward certification in 2025 on a Cessna Caravan and other aircraft models with a seat capacity of up to twenty seats.

For bigger aircraft, more powerful systems are required. For this, ZeroAvia is developing the ZA-2000, which can produce between 2 and 5.4 MegaWatt of power. Entry into service is some years away, CEO Val Miftakhov said during the Paris Airshow, but the first test flights on a converted Alaska Airlines De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 are scheduled for next year. The system could eventually fly on a Mitsubishi/Bombardier CRJ, with both United Airlines and American Airlines signing up as investors for this project in which Mitsubishi is also involved through Mitsubishi Heavy Industries RJ Aviation group.