Hydrogen-electric engines use hydrogen in fuel cells to generate electricity, which is then used to power electric motors to turn the aircraft’s propellers. The only emission is low-temperature water vapor, with studies therefore estimating an up to90% reduction in climate impact when compared with typical kerosene-fuelled flights.

“KLM aims to be a front-runner in the journey towards a more sustainable future in aviation,” said Maarten Koopmans, managing director KLM Cityhopper. “That’s why we actively support and encourage innovation to drive industry change. When it comes to the future of zero-emission flights, KLM supports various technologies and innovations simultaneously. Together with our sector partners, we are conducting research on electric, hydrogen, and hybrid-powered flights and exploring ways to expedite these advancements.”

As a first major target milestone, the companies say they aim to conduct an initial A-to-B flight demonstration between two airport locations in 2026. As well as identifying the optimal airport pair, immediate workstreams will be working towards regulatory permits to fly and ensuring supply of liquid hydrogen fuel and putting in place the supporting infrastructure for aircraft fuelling.

“With this collaboration, KLM and ZeroAvia are providing the evidence-base for adoption of cleaner flight on KLM’s network,” they said in a statement. “Furthermore, the demonstration project will accelerate the development of concepts of operations for hydrogen aircraft across the EU.”

KLM said it aims to be a more sustainable airline. Supporting advanced technologies such as hydrogen and electric aviation is one of three pillars to help the aviation sector decarbonise. The maintenance divisions of KLM and Air France have already been working with ZeroAvia to build the knowledgebase for effective MRO operations for hydrogen fuel cell planes.

ZeroAvia has already extensively tested a prototype of its first ZA600-engine aboard a Dornier 228 aircraft at its UK base.

“The world’s largest airlines are diving in to explore hydrogen-electric as a potential solution with increasing seriousness. We can’t wait to work with KLM, being an airline with such rich history, as we look towards a clean future for the industry,” explained Sergey Kiselev, chief business officer, ZeroAvia.