2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Hydrogen-electric PHA-ZE 100 features quadruple the range of the battery-powered model

Jekta and ZeroAvia Team to Develop Hydrogen-Powered Seaplane

Hanneke Weitering

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

Real-world tests demonstrated a 20% cost reduction

ZeroAvia Cuts Hydrogen Production Costs with AI Software

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

The U.S. carrier has agreed to buy 100 of ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric engines

American Firms Up Commitment for Hydrogen-powered CRJ700 Regional Jets

The failure of efforts to raise more funding was acknowledged in a June 30 statement

Universal Hydrogen Runs Out of Cash and Closes Business

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Major airports in the U.S. and Canada could become 'hydrogen hubs'

Airbus Launches Hydrogen Feasibility Studies at North American Airports

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

The company opened its manufacturing plant near Seattle this week

ZeroAvia Offers Hydrogen-electric Component Manufacturing 

U.S.-based maintenance provider has 52 bases worldwide

Feam Aero Will Maintain ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) is seeking to transition its fleet to hydrogen-electric propulsion through an agreement with powertrain developer ZeroAvia. Under a deal announced on January 18, the Indian scheduled and charter flight operator placed a conditional order for up to 20 of the ZA600 engines and plans to have these installed on 10 Cessna Caravans it intends to acquire or lease.
Since being established in 2011, MEHAIR has mainly focused on seaplane services in various parts of the Indian sub-continent, including the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal. It is now looking to expand its network of sub-regional services with both amphibious and wheeled aircraft. The current fleet includes float-equipped Cessna Grand Caravan single turboprops.
The operator is now exploring options to finance the acquisition and retrofitting of the engines. It already has a relationship with Monte, which is partnered with ZeroAvia for ZA600 leases. Under the new agreement, MEHAIR will collaborate with ZeroAvia to establish infrastructure and processes for supplying hydrogen fuel.
The Indian government wants to expand the use of hydrogen as part of the country’s clean energy strategy. As part of a goal to achieve net zero carbon by 2070, which is beyond the 2050 objective set by United Nations COP agreements, it aims to boost hydrogen production to five million metric tons per year by 2030.
The expansion of regional flights in India is backed by the government’s UDAN program to develop the use of more small local airports, plus landing strips and waterways. “Aligning with the government’s vision of sustainable aviation, we believe we need to find sustainable ways to power our operations in the future and we’re excited by what ZeroAvia’s technology offers and the progress demonstrated so far,” said MEHAR managing director Siddharth Verma.
According to<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-09-19/airbus-barclays-and-saudis-invest-hydrogen-propulsion-pioneer-zeroavia"> ZeroAvia</a>, its fuel cell-based propulsion systems will support 9- to 19-seat aircraft operating on routes of up to 300 miles by the end of 2025. The higher-capacity ZA2000 powertrain is also in development for retrofitting 40- to 80-seat regional airliners.
In July 2023, MEHAIR signed a provisional <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-05/indian-regional-airline-plans-switch-fleet-electric-seaplanes">sales agreement with Jekta</a> to buy up to 50 of the 19-seat PHA-ZE 100 electric seaplanes the Swiss company is developing. The first 10 units are covered by deposits with Jekta aiming to start deliveries in 2029.

Managing Editor

Indian Regional Airline MEHAIR Signs For ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion System

UK airline start-up Ecojet has agreed to launch services with leased hydrogen-powered aircraft using ZeroAvia’s fuel cell-based powertrains. In a deal announced Tuesday, the carrier, founded&nbsp;by renewable energy entrepreneur Dale Vince, said it will acquire 70 of ZeroAvia’s ZA600 propulsion systems through the manufacturer’s <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-06-27/monte-aircraft-leasing-secures-first-hydrogen-powertrain-deliveries">leasing partner, Monte</a>.
Ecojet has yet to confirm what aircraft type it will operate or whether these will be acquired separately or via Monte. The 600-kilowatt ZA600 engines are intended for 19-seat regional aircraft like the Dornier 228, and ZeroAvia is aiming to secure its first supplemental type certificates for the planned retrofits in 2025.
According to <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-08-10/zeroavia-unveils-oxygen-compressor-hydrogen-fuel-cell-propulsion-system">ZeroAvia,</a> Ecojet has also placed a larger order for the more powerful ZA2000 engine, which is intended to enter service on aircraft seating up to 80 passengers in 2027. These might include turboprop models such as the ATR72 and Dash 8 400.
In June, ZeroAvia announced that Monte had signed a purchase agreement for 100 of its hydrogen engines. According to the November 28 announcement, Monte will finance Ecojet’s powertrain purchase and also cover the cost of installation. The new airline is Monte’s first leasing customer for the ZeroAvia powertrain.
<h3 class="subheading">Ecojet Plans Domestic UK Flight Network</h3>
In July, Vince announced initial plans for Ecojet, indicating that he intends to launch services with an undisclosed 19-seater that would use jet-A fuel to get routes established while waiting for zero-carbon alternatives to be available. The company said that flights could begin as soon as early 2024, starting with domestic services to cities including the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. It has not yet secured an air operator certificate from the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
“We don’t have to give up flying to live a green lifestyle or to get to net zero as a country, and this is big news,” Dale said. “The technology is here now and the planes are coming very soon, [so] carbon-free, guilt-free flying is just around the corner.”
Dale is the founder of the green-energy group Ecotricity and has invested in other renewable energy businesses. Until earlier this year, he made donations to environmental protest groups Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion that have targeted the aviation industry with direct action. 
ZeroAvia said it will now work with Monte and Ecojet to prepare for the launch of hydrogen-electric commercial air services. The partners intend to engage with airports and other industry partners.
On November 27, ZeroAvia announced that it had raised $116 million in fresh capital through a Series C funding round. The UK Infrastructure Bank supported this round as a new cornerstone-level investor, alongside co-leads <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-09-19/airbus-barclays-and-saudis-invest-hydrogen-propulsion-pioneer-zeroavia">Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and Saudi Arabia’s Neom Investment fund</a>.
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New UK Airline Ecojet Agrees to Lease ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and the government-backed Saudi Arabian Neom regional development project this week were confirmed as the lead backers of the latest funding round for hydrogen propulsion system developer ZeroAvia. The U.S./UK-based start-up has not disclosed how much it has raised in the just-concluded round, which was also supported by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Alaska Airlines, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, AP Ventures, and Amazon Climate Pledge Fund.
According to ZeroAvia, the new capital will accelerate its efforts to secure the first supplemental type certificate it needs to convert regional airliners to use its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-03-13/zeroavia-reveals-record-breaking-hydrogen-fuel-cell-performance-tests">fuel cell electric propulsion system</a>. It expects to have a 19-seat aircraft operating commercial flights with its 600-kilowatt&nbsp;ZA600 powertrain in 2025. In the longer term, it aims to scale up the technology to develop the ZA2000 system, with up to 5.4-megawatt&nbsp;power, for aircraft with up to around 80 seats, such as the Dash 8 family.
Airbus has been working on plans to develop hydrogen-powered airliners carrying up to 200 passengers on routes of around 2,000 nautical miles by the mid-2030s. As part of its <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-12-01/airbus-adds-fuel-cell-development-its-game-plan-hydrogen-airliners">ZeroE project</a>, the European aerospace group has ground-tested a 1.2-megawatt&nbsp;hydrogen engine concept.
“ZeroAvia has already been successful in <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2023-07-21/zeroavia-concludes-first-flight-test-campaign-hydrogen-powered-dornier-228">flight testing fuel cell propulsion</a>, and hydrogen storage and distribution systems on board their Do-228 flight test platform, which puts them in a strong position to take their technologies to the next phase of development,” said Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus vice president for ZeroE aircraft. “In addition, ZeroAvia is supporting the development of a wider hydrogen ecosystem for aviation—technologies, decarbonized hydrogen supply, and certification of hydrogen propulsion systems—which all complement well with our ambitious plans to bring a ZeroE hydrogen-powered aircraft to service by 2035.”
The Neom project is an ambitious plan to develop an entirely new city on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast. This would include an “industrial city” called Oxagon and a residential community called The Line that will extend for just over 100 miles and house&nbsp;one million people, who will have access to eVTOL air taxis. Vehicle developers Lilium and Volocopter have signed collaborative&nbsp;and provisional sales agreements with Saudi organizations, including <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-10-26/saudi-arabian-airlines-and-lilium-agree-develop-evtol-network-saudi-arabia">Saudi Arabian Airlines</a>.

ZeroAvia

News

Jekta and ZeroAvia Team to Develop Hydrogen-Powered Seaplane

ZeroAvia Cuts Hydrogen Production Costs with AI Software

American Firms Up Commitment for Hydrogen-powered CRJ700 Regional Jets

Universal Hydrogen Runs Out of Cash and Closes Business

Airbus Launches Hydrogen Feasibility Studies at North American Airports

ZeroAvia Offers Hydrogen-electric Component Manufacturing

Feam Aero Will Maintain ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Indian Regional Airline MEHAIR Signs For ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion System

New UK Airline Ecojet Agrees to Lease ZeroAvia's Hydrogen Propulsion Systems

Airbus, Barclays, and Saudis Invest in Hydrogen Propulsion Pioneer ZeroAvia

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