Startup ZeroAvia has partnered with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to develop a supplemental type certificate (STC) for its conversion of the 19-passenger Dornier 228 regional turboprop to hydrogen-electric propulsion.
ZeroAvia has also signed an agreement with Irish cargo airline ASL Aviation Holdings to convert the ATR 72 freighter to hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion. ASL signed a similar letter of intent with startup Universal Hydrogen (UH2) in October.
The startup additionally has announced a collaboration with U.S. investment company Rose Cay to finance the acquisition and conversion of stored aircraft for lease to customers and the development of airport infrastructure to ensure hydrogen availability.
HAL holds the production license for the Do 228 and still produces the aircraft at its Transport aircraft division in Kanpur. The state-owned aerospace company also manufactures airframes for General Atomics AeroTec Systems in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, which now owns the type certificate.
ZeroAvia is installing its ZA600 600-kW hydrogen fuel-cell power train system in a Do 228 in its facility at Cotswold Airport in Kemble, England, with flight testing expected to begin by early 2022. Pressurized gaseous hydrogen stored in underwing tanks will provide a range of up to 500 nm.
The conversion is being developed with UK government support under the HyFlyer II project. The startup is aiming for entry into service in 2024 and has partnered with Rotterdam The Hague Airport to launch the first zero-emissions passenger service between the UK and the Netherlands that year using a 19-seat aircraft.
Under their MOU, HAL and ZeroAvia plan to work together to develop an STC that will allow existing Do 228s to be retrofitted for both Indian military customers and worldwide operators. More than 240 aircraft are still in service globally, ZeroAvia said.
HAL also plans to continue to produce new aircraft, designated the Hindustan-228, that with additional FAA approval could incorporate ZeroAvia ZA600 hydrogen-electric power trains in place of the original Honeywell TPE331 turboprops.
“HAL is committed to ongoing development of the Dornier 228 aircraft, and it is critical to offer it as a zero-emissions platform, including conversion of the existing fleet,” Apurba Roy, general manager of HAL’s Transport Division, said in a statement.
“HAL has a long experience with the Dornier 228 and, since this is also our flight test aircraft, this collaboration helps us achieve our goal of certifying our engine while providing an STC solution to operators worldwide,” said Val Miftakhov, ZeroAvia founder and CEO.
The collaboration with Rose Cay, meanwhile, is intended to enable ZeroAvia to field zero-emission aircraft more quickly by financing stored-aircraft acquisition, hydrogen-electric powertrains and conversion costs for lease customers, as well as airport upgrades and fuel offtake commitments to ensure hydrogen is available.
Under the agreement with ASL, the Irish wet-lease specialist and air cargo services provider will provide a retired ATR 72 freighter for retrofit with ZeroAvia’s larger, 2-5-megawatt ZA2000 hydrogen-electric power train and use it as a development aircraft and demonstrator.
The project could lead to an order to convert up to 10 of ASL’s ATR 72s for service from 2026. ASL’s agreement with UH2 also covers the provision of an ATR 72 for use as a test and certification aircraft, as well as a potential order for kits to retrofit aircraft with a 2-megawatt-class hydrogen-electric power train.
“Our plan is to move forward with both,” ASL told Aviation Week. “ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen are both members of the ASL CargoVision Forum. We feel that the first significant advances with new aviation technologies are likely to come in cargo, and we are working with both companies, as members of the forum, on the development of new hydrogen technologies.”
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