zero avia crj
The story starts here: American Airlines buys 100 hydrogen-powered engines for regional aircraft. This article is based on this news from the airline.
American has a financial interest in ZeroAvia and is also interested in moving towards Net Zero, but saving fuel costs is #1. The worst fuel burn numbers come from regional jets.
The article notes: “ZeroAvia has also been designing an engine for larger aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ700, which America flies on some of its regional routes.”
The story is also interesting because Universal Hydrogen just went belly-up.
It is reasonable to consider that hydrogen-powered aircraft, particularly commercial aircraft, are still in the early proof-of-concept phase. So what is American up to here? MHIrj is the OEM supporter of the CRJ700; it no longer has any ties to Bombardier. When we spoke with them, MHIrj had no idea about this move by American . No operator is going to modify an aircraft without the OEM’s STC.
Is there a case for re-engineing the CRJ? Sure, but this is a big deal. As it is, the CRJ line is fuel-efficient by regional jet standards. However, no operator will move on to a re-engine program without the OEM. As CRJ700 and -900s are retired outside North America, they end up in the North American market, the most active regional jet market.
Regional airline operations are the toughest segment to trade in. The margins are wafer-thin. The big network carriers that use regional jet services have an incentive to find ways to lower fuel burn on their regional aircraft.
Lots of questions, then. Is American making a “green statement?” Or is there something bigger going on?
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