The World's Biggest Aeroplane Propelled By Hydrogen Gets To The Skies

ZeroAvia, a company that specialises in developing hydrogen-electric engines, has successfully completed a test flight of its 19-seat Dornier 228 jet.

The Dornier 228 is the biggest airplane in the world that is driven by a hydrogen-electric motor.

The 10-minute flight with no emissions occurred on 19 January from the research and development center at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom.

In this particular form of testing, the cabin served as the location for the hydrogen tanks and fuel cell power-generating equipment. In a design suitable for commercial usage, the chairs would be returned, and external storage would be used.

The flight was described as a "big moment" for the aviation industry by Val Miftakhov, the creator and CEO of ZeroAvia. He said that all systems operated as planned throughout the flight.

“The first flight of our 19-seat aircraft shows just how scalable our technology is and highlights the rapid progress of zero-emission propulsion [...] it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away”, Miftakhov stated.

The flight was conducted as a part of the HyFlyer II project, which is a significant research and development initiative supported by the ATI Programme of the United Kingdom Government. The program aims to produce a 600 kW power-train to facilitate zero-emission flying for 9-19 seat aircraft.

The successful test flight, as stated by the UK minister of state for business, Grant Shapps, proves how governmental financing for technologies like this is converting into net zero growth.

In 2019, ZeroAvia started testing its hydrogen-powered engines with 6-seat prototype flights of a Piper M-Class aircraft. By 2025, the business expects to have scaled up its clean engine technology to the point where it can provide commercial routes.

With the engine purchase from American Airlines, the collaboration deal with OEM Textron Aviation, and the infrastructure agreements with airports like Rotterdam, Edmonton International, and AGS Airports, ZeroAvia has been riding a wave of commercial momentum leading up to this week's flight.

 

Source: businesstravelnewseurope.com