A conditional purchase agreement has been made between American Airlines and ZeroAvia. This agreement concerns one hundred hydrogen-electric engines, which will be supplied by ZeroAvia and which American Airlines hope will power its regional jet aircraft, whilst also increasing its investment in the start-up.

It was in July of 2023 that ZeroAvia was able to successfully complete their initial flight test campaign of their ZA600 powertrains prototype. To achieve this success, the power train was equipped to one wing of a Dornier 228 19-seat aircraft.

Before this success, American Airlines made their first investment in ZeroAvia in 2022 and now since the company’s success, American Airlines have made further contributions to the firm’s Series C financing effort.

CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom, spoke about, ‘advancing commercial aviation’s transition to low-carbon solutions “requires investment in promising technologies.’

Isom continued, “This announcement will help accelerate the development of technologies needed to power our industry and uphold our commitment to make American a sustainable airline so we can continue to deliver for our customers for decades to come.”

Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov , commented that, ‘With ZeroAvia currently developing hydrogen fuel cell powertrains for commercial aircraft, the investment and order was a “good signal” that it is delivering on its technology roadmap.’