American Airlines has inked a conditional purchase agreement with sustainable aviation firm ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines.
They will be deployed on regional jet aircraft.
This will enable zero inflight emissions except for water vapor.
In addition, American has increased its investment in ZeroAvia.
American made its first investment in ZeroAvia in 2022 and has also now participated in the company’s Series C financing round.
The engine agreement follows the Memorandum of Understanding the companies announced in 2022.
ZeroAvia is developing hydrogen-electric (fuel cell-powered) engines for commercial aircraft, which offer the potential for close to zero inflight emissions.
The company is flight testing a prototype for a 20-seat plane and designing an engine for larger aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ700.
American operates these jets on some regional routes.
“Advancing the transition of commercial aviation to a low-carbon future requires sustainable aviation investments in promising technologies,” said American Airlines’ CEO Robert Isom.
“This will help accelerate the development of technologies needed to make American a sustainable airline.”
American has an aggressive goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to propel the aircraft.
The only inflight emission is low-temperature water vapor.
