The archive · Space, Robots, Defence · Product decision · 2017–2025
ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric bet clears an FAA gate for its 600kW aircraft powertrain
ZeroAvia bet hydrogen fuel cells would power regional flight first; it flew a 19-seater in Jan 2024 and secured its FAA certification basis in Feb 2025.
ZeroAvia
What the business is
ZeroAvia develops hydrogen-electric powertrains for aircraft: fuel cells convert hydrogen to electricity that drives propellers, with the ZA600 aimed at 9–19 seat regional planes and larger units planned for 40–80 seat aircraft.
Starting capital：More than $250 million in equity raised since founding in 2017, including a $116 million Series C closed in late 2023 with the UK Infrastructure Bank, Airbus and Barclays among investors (City AM).
How it started
Valery Miftakhov, who previously founded electric-vehicle charging company eMotorWerks, started ZeroAvia in 2017 with bases in the UK and California. The company's thesis was that hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries, could deliver the range and payload commercial aviation needs.
What happened
ZeroAvia flew a 19-seat Dornier 228 on 2024-01-19 with its ZA600 hydrogen-electric system powering one engine, the largest aircraft to fly with hydrogen-assisted propulsion at that point. American Airlines, an investor since 2022, signed a conditional purchase agreement for 100 engines and increased its stake in July 2024, when the company said it held nearly 2,000 engine pre-orders.
How it ended up
On 2025-02-03 the FAA issued ZeroAvia a G-1 issue paper agreeing the certification basis for the 600kW electric propulsion system, a regulatory checkpoint AIN described as establishing the criteria the powertrain must meet for type certification.
Background
ZeroAvia's bet is that hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries, will power the first zero-emission commercial flights. Its powertrains generate electricity from hydrogen to drive propellers, starting with the 600kW ZA600 for 9–19 seat regional aircraft and a larger system planned for 40–80 seaters.
Valery Miftakhov, who previously founded electric-vehicle charging company eMotorWerks, launched ZeroAvia in 2017 with teams in the UK and California. The company raised more than $250 million in equity, closing a $116 million Series C in late 2023 with the UK Infrastructure Bank, Airbus and Barclays among the backers.
The engineering proof came on 2024-01-19, when a 19-seat Dornier 228 flew for ten minutes at Cotswold Airport with one engine powered by ZeroAvia's ZA600 hydrogen-electric system, making it the largest aircraft to fly with hydrogen-assisted propulsion at the time. American Airlines, an investor since 2022, signed a conditional purchase agreement for 100 engines the following July.
The regulatory gate arrived on 2025-02-03, when the FAA issued a G-1 issue paper agreeing the certification basis for the 600kW electric propulsion system. AIN reported that the document establishes the airworthiness criteria ZeroAvia's powertrain must satisfy, putting a concrete, dated checkpoint behind the company's route to a certified product.
What has to be true
- Starting with regional retrofits kept scope realistic: 9–19 seat aircraft need far less hydrogen storage and power than a narrowbody, so certification was reachable within a startup budget.
- Airlines could place conditional orders without waiting for certification, which let ZeroAvia build a pre-order book of nearly 2,000 engines before its first type approval.
- Flying a real 19-seat testbed in 2024 gave regulators and customers evidence, making the 2025 certification-basis agreement a natural next step rather than a leap.
- Signaling institutional support through a Series C with the UK Infrastructure Bank and Airbus helped de-risk the technology for later airline commitments.
- The bet also required sequencing: demonstrate the powertrain, agree the certification basis, then scale to larger aircraft rather than promising everything at once.
What can be applied
In a safety-certified industry, an agreed certification basis is a startup milestone as real as a first flight; ZeroAvia used demonstrator flights to reach that checkpoint before scaling sales.
Aftermath
As of 2025-02-03, ZeroAvia had agreed its FAA certification basis for the 600kW electric propulsion system and continued flight testing toward a certified ZA600 powertrain, with American Airlines holding a conditional purchase agreement for 100 engines. The company said it was targeting certification for its up-to-20-seat powertrain around the end of 2025 and a larger 40–80 seat powertrain by 2027, while holding experimental certificates from both the FAA and the UK CAA for test aircraft.
Sources
- Hydrogen electric aircraft start up nets £32m from UK Infrastructure Bank
- Hydrogen-powered plane
- American Airlines commits to conditional purchase of 100 ZeroAvia hydrogen-powered engines, increases investment in hydrogen-electric innovator
- FAA Approves ZeroAvia's Certification Basis for Electric Propulsion System
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