Leading European airline and hydrogen-electric propulsion innovator plan to work towards joint demonstration flight 

Farnborough International Airshow, July 24, 2024 — ZeroAvia and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today announced that they will work towards a demonstration flight using ZeroAvia’s ZA2000 zero-emission, hydrogen-electric engines for large regional turboprop.  

Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only emission is low-temperature water vapor, with studies therefore estimating an up to 90% reduction in climate impact when compared with typical kerosene-fueled flights.^[1]   

As a first major target milestone, the companies aim to conduct an initial A-to-B flight demonstration between two airport locations in 2026. As well as identifying the optimal airport pair, immediate workstreams will be working towards regulatory permits to fly and ensuring supply of liquid hydrogen fuel and putting in place the supporting infrastructure for aircraft fueling.   

With this collaboration, KLM and ZeroAvia are providing the evidence-base for adoption of cleaner flight on KLM’s network. Furthermore, the demonstration project will accelerate the development of concepts of operations for hydrogen aircraft across the EU.   KLM aims to be a more sustainable airline. Supporting advanced technologies such as hydrogen and electric aviation is one of three pillars to help the aviation sector decarbonise.

The maintenance divisions of KLM and Air France have already been working with ZeroAvia to build the knowledgebase for effective MRO operations for hydrogen fuel cell planes.  James Peck, Chief Customer Officer, ZeroAvia, said: “The world’s largest airlines are diving in to explore hydrogen-electric as a potential solution with increasing seriousness. We can’t wait to work with KLM, being an airline with such rich history, as we look towards a clean future for the industry.”

Maarten Koopmans, Managing Director, KLM Cityhopper said: “KLM aims to be a front-runner in the journey towards a more sustainable future in aviation. That’s why we actively support and encourage innovation to drive industry change. When it comes to the future of zero-emission flights, KLM supports various technologies and innovations simultaneously. Together with our sector partners, we are conducting research on electric, hydrogen, and hybrid-powered flights and exploring ways to expedite these advancements.” 

ZeroAvia has already extensively tested a prototype of its first ZA600-engine aboard a Dornier 228 aircraft at its UK base. The company has also performed advanced ground tests in the US and UK for the key building block technologies for the ZA2000 system, including cryogenic tanks or LH2 and proprietary high-temperature PEM fuel cell and electric propulsion systems. ZA2000 will support up to 80 seat regional turboprop aircraft such as the ATR72 or the Dash 8 400. 

  ^[1] Clean Sky and McKinsey – Hydrogen Aviation: A fact-based study of hydrogen technology, economics, and climate impact by 2050 https://cleansky.paddlecms.net/sites/default/files/2021-10/20200507_Hydrogen-Powered-Aviation-report.pdf  

  About ZeroAvia ZeroAvia is working to deliver the clean future of flight for the entirety of aviation by enabling electric propulsion. With a primary focus on developing hydrogen-electric (fuel cell-powered) engines, ZeroAvia has submitted its first powertrain for up to 20 seat planes for certification and is working on a larger powertrain for 40–80 seat aircraft. Founded in California and now with thriving teams in Everett, WA and the United Kingdom, ZeroAvia has secured experimental certificates to test its engines in three separate testbed aircraft with the FAA and CAA and passed significant flight test milestones. The company has signed a number of key engineering partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and has nearly 2,000 pre-orders for engines from a number of the major global airlines, with future revenue potential over $10bn. For more, please visit ZeroAvia.com, follow @ZeroAvia on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

    About KLM For over a century, KLM has been connecting people with each other and the world. Tens of millions of customers choose to fly KLM every year, for business, leisure, visiting friends or family, to study abroad, et cetera. We strive to help them to travel well – making meaningful connections with people, places, and experiences along every step of the journey. The 160 destinations in the KLM network connect the Netherlands with all the world’s key economic regions and is a powerful economic engine. At the same time, KLM takes responsibility for the environmental impact of flying. Aviation has to become more sustainable. Every day we take big and small steps towards achieving this goal so that we can continue to be a great airline for our customers for the century to come. A dedicated team is constantly exploring the application of new technologies in aviation. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is part of the Air France–KLM Group. KLM is also a member of the global SkyTeam Alliance, which has 19 member airlines. source: ZeroAvia