Hydrogen-electric technology could compete with SAF cost-wise
First commercial hydrogen flights this decade – Zeroavia
Hydrogen-electric technology will be initially limited to short- and mid-range flights, but could outcompete SAF on cost, company says
Hydrogen aircraft company Zeroavia aims to certify its fuel-cell powertrain for planes by 2025, with the first commercial hydrogen-powered flights due to take off in the mid-2020s, the company’s vice-president for strategy, James McMicking, tells Hydrogen Economist. Earlier in December, the firm signed an agreement with AGS Group—owner and operator of Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports—to cooperate on hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and the use of Zeroavia’s aircraft on domestic routes once certified. “The second half of this decade is where we will start having our aircraft flying—2025 is our entry-into-service date for a 9–19-seat aircraft running on gaseous hydrogen. Later in t
Also in this section
2 December 2025
Oil major cites deteriorating demand and a planning debacle as it abandons one of UK’s largest blue hydrogen projects
1 December 2025
Project at Emden in northwest Germany due online in 2027, but wider ramp-up of clean hydrogen sector in Germany will require overhaul of government policy, company warns
25 November 2025
The northwest African country’s vision of integrating green power, molecules and steel is alive and kicking, and serves as a reminder of hydrogen’s transformative potential
19 November 2025
The creation of ‘lead markets’ to generate hydrogen demand in the EU has potential, but implementation would pose complex challenges for producers and industrial offtakers
