British Airways today joined a group of investors funding hydrogen-electric fuel cell aircraft company ZeroAvia, in line with its net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 pledge. The zero-emission aviation firm is part of in industry trend to explore the potential role of hydrogen in one of the hardest-to-abate sectors.

The global aviation industry is a big emitter of carbon and will face much higher costs at some point in the next decade—despite the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) watering down the rules of its carbon offset market in the wake of the collapse in air travel due to Covid-19.

“We support the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source because we believe it has the potential to enable us to reach true zero emissions on short-haul routes by 2050” Doyle, British Airways

ZeroAvia completed the world’s first hydrogen-electric fuel cell powered flight of a commercial-grade aircraft last September, albeit for just 20 miles and 15 minutes. It says it may be able achieve commercialisation of its hydrogen-electric power as early as 2024, for 20-seat aircraft flights of up to 500 miles.

A group of investors—British Airways, Horizons Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell Ventures, and SystemIQ—have invested a combined total of $24.3mn.

This will fund the development of a hydrogen-electric engine capable of flying further in a 50+ seat commercial aircraft, perhaps as early 2026. The company’s aim is to power 100-seat single-aisle aircraft by 2030.

ZeroAvia’s design uses fuel cells to convert hydrogen into electricity that then powers engines. Fuel cell designs are widely seen as unsuitable for long-haul travel due to the size of the required deep-cooled and pressurised hydrogen fuel tanks—so research attention is focused on sustainable formulations of aviation fuel.

Airbus in February presented designs that similarly utilise hydrogen fuel cells to power short and medium-range commercial aircraft. The European aviation giant floated the viability of a 100-seat aircraft, but the designs remain in development.

British Airways is also investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuels, flying more fuel-efficient aircraft such as Boeing 787s and exploring the use of carbon capture technology, according to the firm. It was already in a partnership with ZeroAvia, announced earlier this year, through the Hangar 51 accelerator programme for hydrogen-powered flight established by the airline’s parent company, IAG.

“Innovative zero emissions technology is advancing fast, and we support the development of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source because we believe it has the potential to enable us to reach true zero emissions on short-haul routes by 2050,” says British Airways’ CEO Sean Doyle.

Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, added the funding “will significantly accelerate our path to zero-emission solutions for larger regional aircraft at a commercial scale” and “we expect to see wide-scale adoption of this technology”.

Aviation offsets

The ICAO established the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction System for International Aviation (Corsia) in 2017 with the goal of maintaining greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation at present levels. Airlines are required to offset any increase in emissions over and above a 2019 baseline.

The market is operating a pilot phase over 2021-23 and will run its first official phase over 2024-26. More than 70 countries, representing 87pc of international aviation activity, have volunteered to participate in these two phases. They include all EU member states as well as the UK, the US and China. From 2027 the system becomes mandatory and will cover almost all ICAO member nations.

$24.3m – Combined investment in ZeroAvia

The baseline for the pilot phase was originally 2019-20 emissions, but the dramatic falls in air traffic due to the pandemic would have placed an unsustainable burden on airlines once the pandemic’s effects had passed.

The ICAO governing council confirmed earlier this year that only 2019 would be used as the benchmark. This means, due to the expected slow recovery of the sector, that it is likely air carriers will not be faced with offsetting obligations before 2023 and some estimate it may be as late as 2026.

Green groups highlight that Corsia does not even address the vast bulk of aviation emissions, only increases above 2019 levels.

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Author: Alastair O’Dell<BR>Senior Editor