United takes next step toward commercial hydrogen flight
US airline company United Airlines has taken an equity stake in UK based hydrogen-electric aviation specialist ZeroAvia.
The deal - part of United’s push to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 - makes it the largest airliner to invest in hydrogen-electric engines for regional aircraft.
United expects to buy up to 100 of the ZeroAvia’s ZA2000-RJ hydrogen-electric engines which could be retrofitted to existing aircraft as early as 2028. According to a company statement one potential use is on its CRJ-550, 50-seater aircraft.
Hydrogen-electric engines use electricity created by a chemical reaction in a fuel cell to power an electric motor instead of burning fossil fuel. Because no fuel is burned, there are no climate-harming emissions or carbon released into the atmosphere when the engines are operated.
The ZA2000-RJ is expected to be used in pairs as a new power source for existing regional aircraft. Under the agreement with United Airlines Ventures, United will pursue a conditional purchase agreement for 50 ZeroAvia ZA2000-RJ engines, with an option for 50 more, enough for up to 50 twin-engine aircraft which would be operated by United Express partners once they are fully developed and certified by regulators as soon as 2028.
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