Bill Gates, Amazon and British Airways support the start-up of a hydrogen plane

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It has also secured $ 16.3 million from the UK government and is partnering with British Airways to help the airline accelerate its transition from fossil fuels to hydrogen to power its fleet. All told, three-year-old ZeroAvia announced new funding of $ 37.7 million in less than a week.

CEO Val Miftakhov said in a statement that the “milestone achievements are closing the gap for the aviation industry to begin the transition from fossil fuels.”

Both aviation and the financial markets are waking up to the idea that hydrogen is the only meaningful route to large-scale, zero-emission commercial flights, he added.

Airlines are facing increasing pressure to address the rapid rise in greenhouse gas emissions from industry, which contribute to global warming and climate disasters. Hydrogen as a fuel is seen as critical to decarbonising air transport, with the potential to reduce aviation carbon emissions by up to 50%, said Airbus (EADSF), which is also exploring its potential.
A six-seater Piper Malibu M350 flies with ZeroAvia powertrain to Cranfield, England in September.

ZeroAvia completed the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial airliner flight in September when a six-seat aircraft took off from its research and development facility in Cranfield, England and flew approximately 10 to 15 minutes before landing.

It wants to go much further, saying on Wednesday that it expects a flight of 250 miles – roughly the distance from London to Paris – in the next three months.

The company plans to commercialize its technology as early as 2023 with flights of up to 500 miles in aircraft with up to 20 seats, typically used in regional aviation and freight transport. Within the next 10 years, it aims to realize flights of more than 1000 miles in aircraft with more than 100 seats.

Miftakhov said more than 10 airlines are preparing to implement the company’s technology by 2023.

“ZeroAvia’s zero-emission aviation powertrain has real potential to decarbonise the aviation industry, and we hope this investment will further accelerate the pace of innovation to enable zero-emission air transportation at scale,” said Amazon’s vice president for global sustainability, Kara Hurst. statement.

Amazon’s investment was made through its Climate Pledge Fund, which it founded in 2019 to help it and other companies achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris climate agreement. To help achieve its climate goals, Amazon will start using electric vans to deliver next year.

Shell’s investment was made through Shell Ventures, which invests in renewable energy companies.

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