American Airlines Announces Agreement To Buy 100 Hydrogen-Powered Engines

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:50 PM ET, Tue July 2, 2024

American Airlines is moving forward with plans to integrate hydrogen-electric engines into its regional jet fleet.

The carrier announced today that it has entered into a “conditional purchase agreement” with clean aviation innovator ZeroAvia for 100 hydrogen-electric engines. The new engines are intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero inflight emissions excluding water vapor.

The engine agreement comes on the heels of a Memorandum of Understanding announced by the companies in 2022.

American Airlines also announced today that it is stepping up its investment in ZeroAvia. The carrier made its first investment in ZeroAvia back in 2022 and has since participated in the company’s Series C financing round.

ZeroAvia is developing hydrogen-electric (fuel cell-powered) engines for commercial aircraft, which offer the potential for close to zero inflight emissions, according to the statement issued today by American Airlines. The company is flight testing a prototype for a 20-seat plane and designing an engine for larger aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ700, which American operates on certain regional routes.

“Advancing the transition of commercial aviation to a low-carbon future requires investments in promising technologies, including alternate forms of propulsion,” American’s CEO Robert Isom, said in a statement.

“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 customers for decades to come," Isom added.

The investment and conditional commitment to purchase novel engine technology comes as American seeks to achieve a goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

In pursuit of that goal, the airline has embarked on a fleet renewal effort and has also made investments in sustainability, including finalizing an offtake agreement with Infinium, a producer of next-generation low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel. The airline was also the first customer in line for an innovative permanent carbon removal process pioneered by Graphyte, a startup that's backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers.

The only inflight emission resulting from this process is low-temperature water vapor. Additionally, the lower intensity electrical systems have the potential to offer significant cost savings.

“In signing this purchase agreement and furthering its investment, American is supporting our mission of innovation for clean aircraft propulsion and it is a good signal that ZeroAvia is delivering on our technology roadmap,”  ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov, said in a statement today. “The solutions that can serve the largest airlines are within reach, and the clean future of flight is coming.”

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