ZeroAvia, a hydrogen-based aviation solutions developer, has completed an undisclosed funding round that was led by Airbus, Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, and NEOM. Other investors in the round included Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Alaska Airlines, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, AP Ventures, and Amazon Climate Pledge Fund.

The company intended to use the funds to push toward certification of its first hydrogen-electric engine known as “ZA600.” Having completed the first stage of flight testing with the product, ZeroAvia is now planning to complete design work and targets to commercialize the product in 2025. 

ZeroAvia also intends to use the funds to progress its “ZA2000,” a 2–5.4 MW modular powertrain for larger commercial aircraft applications. The company intends to begin flight testing with the product in 2024.

In addition to the investment, ZeroAvia also partnered with Airbus. The two companies intend to collaborate on the certification approach for hydrogen power systems. Furthermore, the two companies also plan to focus on key technical areas, such as liquid hydrogen fuel storage, flight and ground testing of fuel-cell propulsion systems, and development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure and operations.