ZeroAvia Gets CAA Permit To Fly Hydrogen-Electric Dornier 228

ZeroAvia has been granted a permit by the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to fly a modified Dornier 228 outfitted with the company’s prototype hydrogen-electric powertrain. ZeroAvia noted that the permit was granted after an “extensive ground testing campaign and a rigorous review of the full development program.” Scheduled to fly for the first time in January 2023, the 19-seat twin-engine aircraft will be operating with the 600-kW hydrogen-electric powertrain on its left wing and the stock Honeywell TPE-331 engine on its right wing.

“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 ZeroAvia founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “We’re going to be starting 2023 in the best way possible, by demonstrating through flight that true zero-emission commercial flight is much closer than many think."

The modified Dornier 228 is part of ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer II project, a U.K.-government-backed program working to develop a hydrogen-electric powertrain for 9- to 19-seat aircraft. The company stated that it worked with the CAA to meet “a far more stringent set of requirements when compared to the E-Conditions framework ZeroAvia had used for its 6-seat prototype in 2020.” ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer I program began flight testing a 250-kW hydrogen fuel cell powertrain using a modified Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage in September 2020. Although the aircraft experienced an inverter lockout that resulted in an off-airport landing last year, the company reported that it was able to continue testing and that HyFlyer I accomplished all of its technical goals.