ZeroAvia, the leader in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, announced a collaboration with Edmonton International Airport to explore opportunities to develop the hydrogen infrastructure required for delivering zero-emission flights and decarbonizing ground operations.
Under the agreement, EIA will work with ZeroAvia to develop hydrogen infrastructure at both the main airport and Villeneuve Airport. The partnership targets exploring the use of hydrogen for decarbonization of aircraft operations, and also the wider airport ecosystem.
To support the collaboration, ZeroAvia will leverage its experience in developing and operating its Hydrogen Airport Refuelling Ecosystem. The partners will begin with gaseous hydrogen as a fuel, whilst exploring a shift to liquid hydrogen - necessary to support aircraft above 50 seats.
The collaboration will see ZeroAvia and EIA first conduct a pilot program which will fuel a demonstrator aircraft and other operations with the deployed hydrogen ecosystem. The next step will entail working towards establishing some of the world's first commercial routes.
This collaboration expands on an already impressive set of sustainability initiatives at EIA, including the construction of the world's largest solar farm at an airport set to begin construction in late 2022.
"Edmonton International Airport has been a leader in pushing the envelope in efforts to tackle emissions using innovative technology. The massive renewable installation, natural resources, flight operations and administrative autonomy, makes EIA a great partner for us."
Arnab Chatterjee, VP, Infrastructure, ZeroAvia
Myron Keehn, VP, Air Service, Business Development, ESG, and Stakeholder Relations, Edmonton International Airport, said: "We are excited to work with ZeroAvia, a global leader in zero-emission aviation. We believe that hydrogen will be a key technology to decarbonize aviation and airport operations for a net-zero future. ZeroAvia's innovations, achievements, and shared values made it natural for us to develop a collaboration. Airports can help drive the adoption of hydrogen, thereby reducing emissions and improving air quality across the scope of their operations and beyond."
Zero-emission air travel has the potential to better connect some of Canada's remote and underserved regions by offering affordable and low impact travel and commerce, supported by zero emission, low noise operation of its pioneering hydrogen-electric engine technology. Some of the small, but vital routes currently operated from EIA and Villeneuve utilize the airframe type, within the target range, that ZeroAvia's 600kW engine will support from 2024 on. The ZA600 is designed to power 9-19 seat aircraft up to 300 nautical miles and will be flight tested for the first time in a 19-seat Dornier 228 within the next few weeks.
ZeroAvia's mission is to deliver hydrogen-electric engines into every aircraft, having identified the technology as the most practical, economical, and furthest reaching solution for reducing aviation's climate change and clean air impacts. Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft's propellers, with the only byproduct being water.
About ZeroAvia
ZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on hydrogen-electric aviation solutions to address a variety of markets, initially targeting a 300-mile range in 9-19 seat aircraft by 2024, and up to 1000-mile range in 40-80 seat aircraft by 2026. Based in the UK and USA, ZeroAvia has already secured experimental certificates for its two-prototype aircraft from the CAA and FAA, passed significant flight test milestones, secured a number of key partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and major global airlines, and is on track for commercial operations in 2024. The company's expanding UK operations are supported by grants from UK's Aerospace Technology Institute and Innovate UK, and ZeroAvia is part of the UK Government's Jet Zero Council.
About Edmonton International Airport
Edmonton International Airport is a self-funded, not-for-profit corporation driving economic prosperity for the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. EIA is Canada's fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and the largest major Canadian airport by land area. EIA's Airport City Sustainability Campus is home to companies focused on tourism, entertainment, cargo logistics, manufacturing, sustainability, and technology development and commercialization. As a result, EIA generated an economic output of over $3.2 billion and supported over 26,000 jobs pre-pandemic. At its core, EIA believes equity and diversity is a strength and creating an inclusive space is both a privilege and is a fundamental responsibility.