ZeroAvia gets CAA green light for next phase of flight testing

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted ZeroAvia’s Dornier 228 aircraft a permit to fly, allowing the company to begin the first test flights of its 600kW hydrogen-electric powertrain.

The permit comes following an extensive ground testing campaign and a rigorous review of the full development program by ZeroAvia. Flight tests are predicted to start in January 2023, and this would make ZeroAvia’s Dornier 228 the largest aircraft to ever fly using a hydrogen-electric powertrain.

The 19-seat twin-engine aircraft has been retrofitted in an engineering testbed configuration to incorporate ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric engine powering the propellor on its left wing, operating alongside a single Honeywell TPE-331 stock engine on the right for appropriate redundancy to allow the safe testing of the novel propulsion technology.

“Earning our full Part 21 permit to fly with the CAA is a critical milestone as we develop a zero-emission aviation propulsion system that will be the most environmental and economical solution to the industry’s climate impact,” said Val Miftakhov, Founder & CEO of ZeroAvia.

This announcement paves the way for a commercially certifiable configuration for ZA600 to be submitted by the end of 2023, with commercial routes for the 9-19 seater being developed 2025.