ZeroAvia makes aviation history, flying world’s largest aircraft powered with a hydrogen-electric engine

Gloucestershire-based aeronautics innovator ZeroAvia has made aviation history, flying the largest aircraft in the world to be powered by a hydrogen-electric engine.

The leader in zero-emission aviation took to the skies for the maiden flight of its 19-seat Dornier 228 testbed aircraft, retrofitted with a full-size prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain on the left wing of the aircraft.

The flight took place from the company’s R&D facility at Cotswold Airport at Kemble, Gloucestershire and lasted 10 minutes.

The aircraft completed taxi, take-off, a full pattern circuit, and landing.

The landmark flight forms part of the HyFlyer II project, a major R&D programme backed by the UK Government’s flagship ATI Programme, which targets development of a 600kW powertrain to support 9-19 seat aircraft worldwide with zero-emission flight.

The twin-engine aircraft was retrofitted to incorporate ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine on its left wing, which then operated alongside a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right.

In this testing configuration, the hydrogen-electric powertrain comprises two fuel cell stacks, with lithium-ion battery packs providing peak power support during take-off and adding additional redundancy for safe testing.

In this testbed configuration, hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power generation systems were housed inside the cabin. In a commercial configuration, external storage would be used and the seats restored.

All systems performed as expected. This is the largest ZeroAvia engine tested to date, and places the company on the direct path to a certifiable configuration to be finalised and submitted for certification in 2023, with this programme also serving as key to unlocking speedy technology development for larger aircraft.

ZeroAvia’s 2-5 MW powertrain programme, already underway, will scale the clean engine technology for up to 90-seat aircraft, with further expansion into narrowbody aircraft demonstrators over the next decade.
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Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia, Founder & CEO, said: “This is a major moment, not just for ZeroAvia, but for the aviation industry as a whole, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away.

"The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion.

"This is only the beginning – we are building the future of sustainable, zero climate impact aviation. Our approach is the best solution to accelerate clean aviation at scale.

Secretary of State for Business, Grant Shapps, said: “Today’s flight is a hugely exciting vision of the future – guilt-free flying and a big step forward for zero-emission air travel.

"It also demonstrates how government funding for projects like these is translating into net zero growth.

"The UK is a world leader in green aviation technology, and the global shift to cleaner forms of flight represents a huge opportunity to secure growth and jobs for our country.

"That’s why we are backing businesses who share our ambitions, reaping the benefits of green technology and growing the thousands of new, skilled jobs that come with it.”