American Airlines has announced that it's increasing its investment in hydrogen-electric aviation company ZeroAvia, committing to buying 100 hydrogen-electric plane engines for its regional flights, Electrek reported.
ZeroAvia began as a startup in 2017, and in 2022, it received over $30 million in funding from sources including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and United. In 2023, Airbus and sustainable airline startup EcoJet were among those who joined the party.
ZeroAvia plans to offer hydrogen-electric-powered 40- to 80-seat aircraft with 700 miles of range by 2027. That dovetails with American Airlines' goal of significantly reducing heat-trapping gas pollution by 2050, per Electrek.
AA's most recent round of funding isn't just a vital contribution to ZeroAvia's mission; it's also a vote of confidence. Clearly, American Airlines is looking toward the future.
Hydrogen-electric technology is much cleaner than burning jet fuel. Instead of producing toxic exhaust and planet-heating carbon dioxide, hydrogen fuel cells produce only water vapor. That's safer for people and for the planet. Depending on how the technology develops, electric flights may also be cheaper than those powered by jet fuel.
According to Electrek, American CEO Robert Isom said: "Advancing the transition of commercial aviation to a low-carbon future requires investments in promising technologies, including alternate forms of propulsion. This announcement will help accelerate the development of technologies needed to power our industry and uphold our commitment to make American a sustainable airline so we can continue to deliver for customers for decades to come."
ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov said: "In signing this purchase agreement and furthering its investment, American is supporting our mission of innovation for clean aircraft propulsion and it is a good signal that ZeroAvia is delivering on our technology road map. The solutions that can serve the largest airlines are within reach, and the clean future of flight is coming."
Other companies are also hard at work on offering electric airplanes. For example, startup Elysian intends to build a 90-passenger battery-powered plane that can travel 497 miles on a charge. Maeve Aerospace is hard at work on an 80-seater hybrid airplane.
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