As a result of the climate crisis, many transport sectors are looking for alternative forms of propulsion and energy. On the ground the answer is electric, in the air they are now successfully experimenting with hydrogen and that in relatively large aircraft.
Aircraft with batteries are basically nothing unusual anymore, because several manufacturers are currently working on (purely) electric aircraft. However, there are some fundamental questions here that are difficult to answer literally, first and foremost that of the weight of the batteries required. This is also the background why others are experimenting with hydrogen-based solutions.
A month ago, the British-US company ZeroAvia received permission to fly its fuel cell-based passenger aircraft. As Electrek reports, the maiden flight was also a success: The modified Dornier 228, a twin-engine, turbine-driven propeller aircraft, took off for the first time and was in the air for ten minutes.
A range of 500 kilometers is just the beginning
The HyFlyer II project, which is funded by the British government, is particularly special because the Dornier 228 is an aircraft that can seat 19 passengers (of course, these were not on board on the maiden flight ).
The aim of the whole is the development of emission-free commercial flight operations with a 600 kW propulsion system. This should be achieved as early as next year and should culminate in the construction of aircraft that can carry nine to 19 passengers almost 500 kilometers further. But that should only be the beginning, because this is to be followed by a version with two to five megawatts, which should have a range of more than 1100 kilometers.
Val Miftakhov, Founder and CEO of ZeroAvia: “This is a significant moment, not only for ZeroAvia but for the entire aviation industry, as it shows that true zero-emission commercial flight is only a few years away. The maiden flight of our 19-seater aircraft demonstrates how scalable our technology is and underscores the rapid advancement of zero-emission propulsion. This is just the beginning – we are building the future of sustainable, carbon-neutral aviation.”
