ZeroAvia starts US 19-seat aircraft testing and demonstration program

ZeroAvia has received its second twin-engine 19-seat Dornier 228 aircraft at its headquarters in Hollister, California.

The new US initiative will take the system developed in the UK HyFlyer II project and integrate it into the same type of aircraft. It will serve as the basis for testing new components and integrations as well as a testbed for working with the FAA ahead of the ZA600 engine’s planned certification in 2024. The company will test new components and integrations under an FAA certificate ahead of the ZA600 engine’s planned certification in 2024.

Ultimately, this will help ZeroAvia to optimize its zero-emission powertrain design ahead of certification. This year it will have two demonstration aircraft flying on two continents powered by our hydrogen-electric powertrains which will further help us secure partner and customer commitments across the worldwide aviation industry.

ZeroAvia will work towards a hybrid engine configuration that incorporates both the company’s hydrogen-electric powertrain and a conventional engine into the aircraft. The conversion is expected to take approximately 3-4 months to prepare the aircraft for test flights. After the engine is configured, it will enter into the flight testing and demonstration program, spanning passenger, cargo, and industrial use cases with a number of to-be-announced partners.

In addition to the launch of this program, ZeroAvia will be expanding its facility at Hollister to ensure adequate staff and resources to reach planned milestones. The company has added a new 15,000 square foot hangar to its footprint at the airfield, enabling space for conducting engineering work on the aircraft and its HyperTruck test bed platform, as well as ample office space to support its growing operations.

Val Miftakhov, CEO and founder of ZeroAvia, said, “This new project in California will allow us to use architectures from our Hyflyer II initiative, where we are working with the same aircraft, and apply those lessons as we further test and demonstrate the system across a number of different use cases.”

Renee Wells, Executive Director of the Economic Development Corporation of San Benito County (EDC), commented, “There will be significant demand and since California leads the world in adopting zero-emission vehicles, zero-emission flight infrastructure is the next natural frontier.”