American Airlines has entered into a conditional purchase agreement with clean aviation innovator ZeroAvia for purchasing 100 hydrogen-electric engines to power regional jet aircraft with zero inflight emissions.
American Airlines has also increased its investment in ZeroAvia. The first investment by American Airlines was made in ZeroAvia in 2022 and has also now participated in the company’s Series C financing round. The engine agreement follows the Memorandum of Understanding the companies announced in 2022.
ZeroAvia is developing hydrogen-electric engines for commercial aircraft offering the potential for close to zero inflight emissions. Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which powers electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only inflight emission is low-temperature water vapor, and the lower-intensity electrical systems have the potential to offer significant cost savings.
The company is flight-testing a prototype for a 20-seat plane and designing an engine for larger aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ700, which American Airlines operates on certain regional routes.
