The Dutch airline KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and ZeroAvia, a company that produces aircraft engines with zero harmful gas emissions, entered into a partnership yesterday and announced flights on liquid hydrogen.
The first demonstration flight in real conditions is planned for 2026, and the plane will be equipped with the zero-emission ZeroAvia ZA2000 engine, which is powered by liquid hydrogen as fuel. Hydrogen engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors that turn the airplane’s propellers. The only emission that is created is low-temperature water vapor, and relevant studies estimate that this type of hydrogen engine has a 90 percent lower climate impact compared to flights that use kerosene.
Also, until the announced flight, the companies will make an extra effort to select optimal airports for testing, obtain permits from regulatory authorities, provide sufficient quantities of liquid hydrogen and develop the accompanying hydrogen infrastructure.
The partnership aims to accelerate KLM’s environmental transition and provide more sustainable advanced aviation technologies within the airline’s flight network, as well as encourage the European aviation industry to use liquid hydrogen and hydrogen engines.
“Commercial aviation is increasingly turning to hydrogen-electric engines as a potential solution for a cleaner aviation future. We are pleased to cooperate with the airline KLM, which has such a rich history”, said Sergej Kiselev, Chief Business Officer of ZeroAvia.
“KLM has set itself the task of being a leader on the way to a more sustainable future of aviation, and that is why we actively support and encourage various innovations and technologies in the industry. Together with our partners, we are conducting research on electric, hydrogen and hybrid powered flights and exploring ways to accelerate this progress,” said Marten Kopmans, CEO of KLM Citihopper.
KLM and ZeroAvia will test a modified ATR 72 or Dash 8 400 aircraft equipped with ZA2000 engines for the first flight.
Source: Top One
Source: energetskiportal.rs
