Aircraft
ZeroAvia Achieves First Flight with Hydrogen-powered Airliner
ZeroAvia's hydrogen-powered Dornier 228 flew for the first time on Thursday.
ZeroAvia's Dornier 228 hydrogen-electric prototype airplane first flight
Partially powered by a fuel-cell-based ZA600 powertrain, ZeroAvia's Dornier 228 prototype takes off on its first flight from Cotswold Airport in the UK on January 19.

ZeroAvia achieved its long-awaited first flight on Thursday with a Dornier 228 aircraft featuring its hydrogen-electric propulsion system. The company installed a fuel-cell-based ZA600 powertrain on the 19-seat airliner’s left wing in place of one of its two Honeywell TPE331 turboprop engines.

The aircraft took off at 1:35 p.m. local time from ZeroAvia’s research and development base at Cotswold Airport in the UK for a flight that lasted 10 minutes. The event marked the start of a flight test campaign that the California-based start-up hopes will lead to its first converted regional airliner entering commercial service in 2025.