American Airlines announced its investment in ZeroAvia, a leader in hydrogen-electric, emission-free aviation. A memorandum of agreement allows American to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development program, in addition to the investment. The engines are designed to power emission-free regional jet aircraft.
American’s Chief Financial Officer, Derek Kerr, stated:
“Our investment in ZeroAvia’s emerging hydrogen-electric engine technology has the potential to play a key role in the future of sustainable aviation. We are excited to contribute to this industry development and look forward to exploring how these engines can support the future of our airline as we build American Airlines to thrive forever.”
ZeroAvia is pursuing type certifications for its unique propulsion technology, which will pave the road for the engines to be integrated into the regional jet market in the future. The ZA2000-RJ propulsion system is predicted to enable zero-emission regional jet travel by the late 2020s.
Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia, Founder & CEO, added:
“Having support from the world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight. We are focused on delivering sustainable travel, and are delighted that American, a visionary leader in the industry, sees ZeroAvia as a part of the future of aviation.”
The commercial and investment agreement with American continues the strong commercial momentum of ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain technologies and Hydrogen Airport Refueling Ecosystem (HARE), following agreements with Ravn Alaska, MONTE, MHIRJ, Otto Aviation, Shell, Edmonton International Airport, and PowerCell.
This investment exemplifies an additional step on the United States’ path to attaining its ambitious climate goals, which include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. In addition to the strategy and progress mentioned in American’s recently published Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, the airline has also recently undertaken the following initiatives to promote sustainability:
