American Airlines makes undisclosed investment in ZeroAvia

American Airlines has made an undisclosed investment in ZeroAvia and signed an MoU that enables the airline to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development programme. The engines are intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero emissions.

Derek Kerr, American’s chief financial officer, said: “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 currently working towards type certifications for its hydrogen propulsion technology that will “pave the way” for the engines to be incorporated into the regional jet market. The ZA2000-RJ powertrain is expected to enable passengers to fly in zero-emission regional jets as early as the late 2020s.

ZeroAvia founder and CEO, Val Miftakhov said: “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.”

Elsewhere, American’s sustainability drive has now seen it receive the industry’s first-ever CORSIA-certified batch of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Neste. It has also reached an agreement to purchase 500m gallons of SAF over five years from Gevo, Inc. and become the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative.