On February 07, 2023, one of the leaders in developing zero-emission solutions for commercial aviation, ZeroAvia, announced a collaboration agreement had been signed with Shell, Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA) and Rotterdam The Hague Airport, and the companies will develop flights to European destinations, with a concept and demonstration of operations for hydrogen in airports by the end of 2024, getting prepared for commercial passenger flights by 2025.
This collaboration will serve the first hydrogen flight from Rotterdam, developing on-the-ground infrastructure and operations to successfully pilot the distribution, storage, and dispensing of hydrogen for aviation, and ultimately decarbonizing the entire airport ecosystem, following on the announcement made last year about the cooperation commitment to launch the first hydrogen-electric commercial flight.
The project's goal is to enable gaseous hydrogen to power ZeroAvia's emission-free ZA600 engines. The companies collaborated with aims to establish routes to European airports within 250 nautical miles of Rotterdam for the specific demonstration flights. The previous month, ZeroAvia demonstrated a 19-seater flight first one, which is powered by its prototype ZA600 engine. Additionally, the project will target the development of aviation-specific protocols and standards around the safety, hydrogen and refueling management and enable the rollout of the promising fuel effortlessly.
With the project, Shell brings critical experiences and technical capabilities. The knowledge encompasses global experiences in the design and operation of refueling equipment, including hydrogen, and understanding the hydrogen industry from start to finish. The company’s investments in hydrogen production projects are made to foster the growth of hydrogen economies across the globe. Shell collaborates with airports to develop infrastructure that fits for the future and will allow supplying customers with sustainable aviation fuel, electric plane charging and hydrogen as 'multi-modular' infrastructure.
About ZeroAvia
Founded in 2017, ZeroAvia is the leading hydro-emission aviation, focusing on hydrogen-electric aircraft solutions. The company aims to serve multiple markets, starting with those within a 300-mile range of 9-19-seat aircraft by 2025 and then expanding to those within a 700-mile range of 40-80-seat aircraft by 2027. Based in Hollister, California, ZeroAvia has already succeeded in getting experimental certificates from the CAA and FAA for its two-prototype aircraft. It has also passed important flight test milestones, formed key partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and airlines worldwide, and is on track to start commercial operations in 2025.