In March 2021 British Airways announced that it had reached an agreement with ZeroAvia to help reach its goal of a zero-emissions future. The partnership between the two organizations allows British Airways to explore alternatives in sustainable flying such as aircraft powered by hydrogen-electric powertrains instead of fuel. Partnership With ZeroAvia Part of British Airway’s Long-Term Sustainability Plan British Airways has set an ambitious goal of achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050. The agreement with ZeroAvia, a company dedicated to offering zero -mission airplane travel at scale, is part of the airline’s long-term sustainability strategy. ZeroAvia has already created a zero-emission powertrain that cuts fuel and maintenance costs by up to 75 percent. The result is an average of 50 percent savings for every trip. ZeroAvia was the first in the aviation industry to complete a commercial flight using hydrogen-electric power. The company is leading the way for airlines around the world to transition to clean aviation Efforts Underway to Build Zero-Emission 50-Seat Airplane As part of its long-term sustainability effort, British Airways is working with ZeroAvia to develop a small aircraft powered entirely by zero-emission hydrogen-electric power. The following investors have teamed up with British Airways for this investment round: Together, the investors have contributed $24.3 million toward the joint venture between British Airways and ZeroAvia. The funds will allow ZeroAvia to develop a new program that highlights the credibility of this technology. British Airways hopes to develop a larger airplane with a hydrogen-electric engine to fly further distances within the next five years. A spokesperson for ZeroAvia stated that the company can release commercialized airplanes operating on hydrogen-electric power within three years. The planes would have 20 seats and fly up to 500 nautical miles. The spokesperson also commented that it can help British Airways reach its vision of flying a 100-seat airplane powered by hydrogen-electric fuel by 2030. How ZeroAvia Provides Power to Airplanes Carrie Harris works as the head of sustainability for British Airways. She explained how the airline aims to apply nature-based carbon removals along with carbon capture and storage to facilitate migration. Since the goal of British Airways is to decarbonize at source, pursuing hydrogen as an alternative to jet fuel helps them progress toward this reality. Harris sees the most critical channels as synthetic sustainable aviation fuels and direct hydrogen propulsion. As the airline receives additional data from ZeroAvia, Harris says that it will switch its focus to direct hydrogen propulsion. She described how ZeroAvia uses gaseous hydrogen to provide power to electric fuel cells. At the time of the partnership announcement, ZeroAvia was using green energy from its power grid to provide electricity to small planes located at Cranfield Airport. Comments From the CEO of British Airways When announcing the partnership between ZeroAvia and British Airways in March, CEO Sean Doyle noted the rapid advancement of innovative technology related to zero-emission flights. He stated that British Airways supports the recent development of replacing traditional fuel with hydrogen-based fuel and has committed time and resources toward this end. Sean Doyle also commented on the level of energy and excitement at his company around working toward a zero net emissions future. While acknowledging that British Airways cannot reach this outcome with a single solution alone, Doyle stated that he understands the need for his company and other airlines to act immediately to start ending carbon emissions. Comments From the CEO of ZeroAvia Val Miftakhov, the founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, described how the partnership with British Airways and other recent developments would help airlines speed up the process of reaching zero net emissions. ZeroAvia works with large regional aircraft facilities to meet this goal at a commercial scale. Miftakhov also noted how many other airlines, in addition to British Airways, are ready to make the transition. ZeroAvia is excited to work with each of them. In addition to completing the world’s first hydrogen-electric flight of a commercial aircraft in September 2020, ZeroAvia recently completed a ground simulation for its first cross-country flight using the same technology. During the ground test, ZeroAvia used its patented fuel cell powertrain configuration to demonstrate operation with a full-battery shutdown. The demonstration proved the possibility of powering a flight with the battery system fully removed from the powertrain’s configuration. About ZeroAvia ZeroAvia, based in the UK and US, offers sustainable solutions for the transportation industry. After the airline industry surpassed the coal industry as the greatest producer of carbon emissions five years ago, ZeroAvia stepped in to work with the airlines and prioritized projects such as hydrogen-electric powertrains. The airline industry currently contributes 12 percent of total transportation emissions, and it is on track to double that by 2050 without immediate intervention. The impact is especially significant on short-haul flights, defined as those traveling less than 1,000 nautical miles. The team developing sustainable solutions at ZeroAvia receives input from top experts around the world in the automotive, aviation, fuel supply, and real estate industries. Companies from the United Kingdom, United States, and Norway have also established partnerships with ZeroAvia.
ZeroAvia and British Airways Partner to Reduce Carbon Emissions
