Two Californian e-fuel startups, Infinium and Twelve, have received a joint total of up to $1.7 billion in funding and investment to help accelerate production and availability of sustainable aviation fuel. Brookfield Asset Management has committed to invest more than $200 million in Infinium’s Project Roadrunner that is under development in West Texas and up to an additional $850 million for deployment of other Infinium eFuels projects globally, all subject to pre-agreed metrics. This marks Brookfield’s first direct investment in SAF and the investor will also serve as lead in Infinium’s Series C Preferred Stock Offering. Twelve has received $645 million in funding, which includes $400 million in project equity led by TPG Rise Climate, $200 million in Series C financing and an additional $45 million in credit facilities from funders in the renewable energy sector.

Infinium produces eSAF through a proprietary process that combines water, waste CO2 and renewable energy to produce drop-in eSAF as well as eDiesel and eNaphtha. The company recently announced a strategic deal with American Airlines, in which American will purchase commercial volumes of its eSAF starting in 2026 produced by Project Roadrunner.

“Brookfield is a tremendous partner and we are thrilled to secure this additional capital as we scale eSAF production to meet the overwhelming demand from the aviation industry,” said Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle.

“Our Project Pathfinder site was the first to bring commercial volumes of e-fuels to market and Project Roadrunner brings additional volumes to scale global supplies. As our airline partners continue to push for more SAF and decarbonisation options, Infinium remains committed to accelerating production to help meet those demands.”

Brookfield joins existing backer Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, which previously committed $75 million in funding for Project Roadrunner.

“Our investment is structured to provide the capital Infinium needs to accelerate the production of SAF to meet the growing demand from corporate customers while generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for us,” explained Jehangir Vevaina, Managing Partner at Brookfield, which has around $1 trillion of assets under management. “In addition to Roadrunner, Infinium has a large pipeline of well-positioned projects to help meet the demand for the structurally short e-fuels market, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the development of further e-fuel projects through follow-on investments.”

Infinium claims Project Pathfinder in Corpus Christi, Texas, is the world’s first commercial-scale facility making drop-in ready e-fuels for heavy transportation applications and chemical processes, and is the first in North America to produce e-fuels that have received ISCC PLUS certification. Pathfinder integrates Infinium’s novel fuel production technology using patented catalysts with on-site electrolysers, a state-of-the-art laboratory, logistics and delivery mechanics to produce, validate and distribute e-fuels in what it describes as fewer steps than others in the industry.

The company says it has more than a dozen additional projects under development across the United States, the EU, Japan and Australia.

Meanwhile, funding raised by Twelve will be used towards the completion of the company’s inaugural AirPlant One eSAF facility located in Moses Lake, Washington, which is expected to begin production in 2025. Twelve’s patented technology will be used to produce SAF derived from biogenic CO2, water and renewable energy sources, which achieves claimed lifecycle emissions up to 90% lower than conventional fossil jet fuel. Twelve recently raised $45 million in total loans from two lenders – the first a $25 million construction loan from clean energy investment firm Fundamental Renewables, the other a $20 million green loan from multinational bank SMBC.

TPG Rise Climate, a $7.3 billion climate impact fund, has now committed up to $400 million in project equity financing to support the development of future AirPlants, which will supply Twelve’s E-Jet fuel to customers like Alaska Airlines and IAG, parent company of British Airways.

“We are drawn to companies and founders that have developed and proven unique solutions to complex problems,” said Jonathan Garfinkel, Managing Partner at TPG Rise Climate. “Twelve is a clear leader in CO2 conversion technology, which is a core part of the power-to-liquids technology stack, and the process we believe represents the long-term scalable solution for SAF production.”

TPG is leading Twelve’s $200 million Series C round alongside Capricorn Investment Group and Pulse Fund. A number of new and existing investors participated in the round, including Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund and Alaska Airlines’ investment arm, Alaska Star Ventures.

“We are excited to be a part of this round of forward-looking funders to make a more sustainable future for aviation possible,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, SVP Public Affairs and Sustainability at Alaska Airlines. “Over the last several years we have appreciated getting to know the team at Twelve. Together we are building a multi-level partnership to expand supply, mature the market for SAF and to soon use their E-Jet fuel in our operations.”

Responded Nicholas Flanders, CEO at Twelve: “Our financing strategy has been to build a comprehensive capital stack that enables us to deliver product to customers at scale while continually driving down costs. We’re proud to work with visionary financing partners and collaborators who share our commitment to deploying first of a kind technologies that address climate change at scale.”

Photo: American Airlines expects to purchase commercial volumes of Infinium’s eSAF starting in 2026

Christopher Surgenor

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E-fuels will be featured at Aviation Carbon 2024

Hydrogen propulsion developer ZeroAvia has secured additional investment funding from American Airlines and new backing from Japanese industrialist ITOCHU Corporation, as it progresses plans to certificate its entry-level hydrogen-electric powertrains in 2025. American upped its stake in ZeroAvia just days after the failure of rival company Universal Hydrogen, in which the airline was also a headline investor, and announced a “conditional” agreement to buy 100 ZeroAvia powertrains to convert regional jets to cleaner power. ITOCHU has signed a wide-ranging agreement in which it will support the company’s expansion across Asia. Universal’s demise has cemented ZeroAvia’s position as the biggest emergent supplier of hydrogen-electric powertrains to replace fossil-fuelled engines on turboprop planes and regional jets, and later to power new narrowbody aircraft.

American’s agreement to strengthen its ZeroAvia partnership coincided with the airline’s release of its latest sustainability report, in which CEO Robert Isom warned that decarbonisation “is not happening at the pace we need.”

“Game-changing technologies like hydrogen, which American is also helping to advance, are expected to be important elements of the long-term solution for decarbonising aviation,” said Isom. “But to get from here to there, we need manufacturers to invest in the incremental but meaningful advances in airframe and engine technologies that can come online with the next generation of aircraft.”

ZeroAvia, which is jointly based in the UK and USA, is developing a family of hydrogen-electric engines, and is currently using a pair of Dornier 228 turboprop testbeds to reach certification next year of its ZA600 powertrain for 9-19 seat aircraft, offering a 300-mile flight range. It is also actively progressing its larger ZA2000 powertrain to provide cleaner propulsion and up to 700 miles of range for aircraft of 40-80 seats, targeting a 2027 launch.

American Airlines announced an initial investment in ZeroAvia in August 2022, two months before it also revealed a strategic equity investment in Universal Hydrogen. It did not disclose the value or terms of either deal, or for its newly increased stake in ZeroAvia, which it said was part of that company’s Series C financing round.

Nor has American detailed the caveats attached to its conditional purchase agreement for 100 ZeroAvia powertrains, which could replace the fossil-fuelled engines on regional jets including Bombardier CRJ700s operated by the airline on a range of regional routes. An engine deal was first flagged by American in 2022, when announcing it had “the opportunity” to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development programme. 

American said its increased investment in ZeroAvia and intention to buy hydrogen-electric powertrains formed part of a much broader strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Its plan includes extensive fleet renewal and investments in sustainable aviation fuel from suppliers including Infinium, an emerging producer of e-fuels. American was also the first customer for Graphyte, a US carbon removal and storage startup backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures.       

ZeroAvia’s founder and CEO, Val Miftakhov, said his company’s hydrogen-electric powertrains would emit only low temperature water vapour, while low intensity electrical systems would potentially deliver significant cost efficiencies.

“In signing this purchase agreement and furthering its investment, American is supporting our mission of innovation for clean aircraft propulsion,” said Miftakhov, describing the airline’s increased backing as “a good signal that ZeroAvia is delivering on our technology roadmap. The solutions that can serve the largest airlines are within reach, and the clean future of flight is coming.”

ZeroAvia claims almost 2,000 pre-orders for its engines from multiple major airlines, with “future revenue potential” exceeding $10 billion.

The additional partnership announcement with ITOCHU Corporation further strengthens ZeroAvia following American’s increased interest and the failure of Universal, while also ensuring increased focus on ZeroAvia at the forthcoming Farnborough International Airshow.

 While ITOCHU did not detail the scale of its new investment, it announced its appointment as ZeroAvia’s sales representative for Asia and had additionally signed a MoU for wide-ranging collaboration across the region in areas including maintenance, airport infrastructure and hydrogen infrastructure.

“It is expected that there will be approximately 44,000 commercial aircraft in 2042, 1.6 times the number in 2023,” said ITOCHU. “With IATA and ICAO announcing their goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the decarbonisation of the aviation industry is an international challenge. To solve the issue, new technologies in addition to SAF, such as hydrogen aircraft, are necessary.”  

ZeroAvia also revealed it has developed “revolutionary” AI-driven, scalable smart microgrid optimisation software that aims to minimise the cost of green hydrogen production for clean aviation and other applications. Testing in California of its Smart Hydrogen AI Production Software (SHAIPS) has shown in excess of a 20% reduction of the levelized cost of hydrogen compared to an electrolyser generating hydrogen based on the average electricity wholesale price, reports the company. In the US, the Department of Energy is targeting $1 per kg of hydrogen by 2030, while the Inflation Reduction Act established up to $3 per kg as part of a production tax credit.

American’s 2023 Sustainability Report was released by the airline on the same day it announced its increased commitments to ZeroAvia, and pointedly referred to the sector’s limited progress in reducing aviation’s harmful emissions.

“We are taking concrete steps within our operations and pulling all the levers we can to drive progress,” said American’s CEO in his introduction to the report. “But the reality is the action we can take within our own operations – or the scale of investment we can absorb in our low-margin business – will never be sufficient on its own.

“Aviation is widely recognised as one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise. Getting there is going to require action and investment across the public and private sectors, and quite frankly, that’s not happening at the pace or scale we need.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is a perfect example. American has a goal to use 10% SAF in 2030. In 2023 we used 2.7 million gallons of SAF – the most we’ve used in a single year – but it was still less than 1%. That wasn’t for lack of trying. We’ve signed commitments with multiple SAF producers, at a premium, to try to secure supply and, in the case of Infinium, to help attract capital to bring new, lower-carbon SAF technology to market sooner. But the volume of SAF available today and likely to be ready over the next several years is a tiny fraction of what’s needed.

“It’s a risk for me to come out and say that American’s ability to achieve our 2030, 2035 and 2050 climate goals is in jeopardy. But in my mind, the bigger risk is failing to sound the alarm that there’s an urgent need for more and faster action across the public and private sectors.”

Image: ZeroAvia

Tony Harrington

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American Airlines has expanded its decarbonisation activities, announcing new partnerships with two US-based start-ups – Infinium, an emerging producer of sustainable aviation fuels, and Graphyte, a carbon removal and storage company. Both new businesses are backed by Breakthrough Energy, the climate action investment group established by technology billionaire Bill Gates. American will be Graphyte’s first customer, purchasing 10,000 tons of carbon removal credits from early 2025. Through its Project Roadrunner initiative, Infinium plans commercial-scale production of power-to-liquid fuels, or eFuel, by collecting, combining and converting carbon dioxide and renewably-produced power. American has signed a “definitive” offtake agreement with Infinium, details of which were not disclosed.

Infinium’s Project Roadrunner will convert an existing brownfield gas-to-liquids project in West Texas into what the company claims will become North America’s largest eFuels facility, supplying both the US and international markets. The integrated plant will mainly produce eSAF, an aviation decarbonisation pathway which is projected to reduce lifecycle fuel emissions by about 90%. It will also manufacture eDiesel for use by the road freight and maritime sectors and eNaptha for plastics production. 

The American Airlines’ deal with Infinium, which the companies described as “a critical enabler of further investment in Project Roadrunner,” was announced alongside a $75 million investment in Infinium by Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, which supports first-of-a-kind projects that accelerate the use of climate technologies to cut harmful emissions and help to reduce the green premium. The Infinium deal, which is subject to “the satisfaction of certain closing conditions”, was Catalyst’s first equity investment.

American is a foundation partner of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, seeking to help drive the development of new clean energy technologies including SAF. To further support the eSAF offtake deal, American and US-based banking group Citi – also a partner of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst – agreed to transfer the associated emission reductions to the bank to support scaling of Infinium’s eSAF programme, as well as helping to offset Scope 3 emissions of air travel by its employees.

“American joined Breakthrough Energy Catalyst because we saw the potential to accelerate the commercialisation of the clean energy technologies of the future,” said Jill Blickstein, the airline’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Today we see the realisation of that potential in Catalyst’s investment in Infinium’s electrofuels SAF, coupled with American’s long-term commitment to purchase those fuels. Our partnership with Catalyst, and our new commitment with Infinium, exemplifies the novel collaboration necessary to bring to market the new technologies that will allow us to decarbonise.”

Robert Schuetzle, CEO of Infinium, said the Catalyst investment was critical to accelerating Project Roadrunner and the delivery of significant volumes of eFuels produced by combining CO2 and renewable power. “The groundbreaking commercial agreement with American is an important prototype for the aviation industry as its firm offtake agreement supports project financing, providing revenue certainty for the project,” he said.

Mario Fernandez, Head of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, added: “This project is a landmark achievement for the development of sustainable aviation fuels. The offtake agreement provides a model for the entire aviation industry of one way to effect change and support the scale up of capital-intensive projects. Infinium’s technological and commercial maturity, coupled with the company’s project development expertise, will help accelerate the clean energy transition by quickly bringing to market clean fuels for aviation, trucking and other long-distance parts of the transportation sector.”

Val Smith, Citi’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “We hope the offtake agreement with American, where we combine their direct use of SAF with our indirect use through our business travel, will serve as one model for how offtake agreements can be used to help scale up future solutions for low-emissions air travel.”

American’s second partnership is with carbon removal company Graphyte, which instead of extracting CO2 directly from the air, plans to transform existing carbon-holding biomass by-products, including crop and forestry waste, which contain CO2 already captured from the air through the natural process of photosynthesis. Through its Carbon Casting process, Graphyte secures the biomass waste, then dries and converts it into solid carbon blocks, which are sealed, stored underground and monitored to ensure no carbon leakage. The company then sells carbon credits as offsets, with American Airlines to be its first customer, purchasing 10,000 tons of permanent carbon removal from early 2025.

Backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Graphyte says its process is far less expensive than other carbon capture systems, which rely on large fans to extract CO2 from the atmosphere. Instead, says the company, “we returned to nature’s proven, efficient process for capturing carbon from the atmosphere – photosynthesis.”

The company dries the biomass, eliminating microbes and water which cause decomposition and enable captured carbon to escape. Carbon blocks are then created, sealed and permanently stored. The first commercial scale use of the technology will be at the company’s facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, though timing was not revealed.

“Carbon Casting lets nature efficiently do the work of capturing the CO2, then leverages engineering techniques to store it permanently,” explained Graphyte’s Founder and CEO Barclay Rogers. “This is a landmark agreement for both Graphyte and American Airlines. It demonstrates the growing demand for affordable and scalable high-quality carbon removal credits and the ability of Carbon Casting technology to make a significant impact in the fight against climate change in the very near term.”

The partnership fits American’s strategy of diversifying decarbonisation technologies to maximise its carbon emission reductions.

“American is focused on accelerating new, low-carbon technologies to reduce aviation’s climate impact,” explained Blickstein. “Hard-to-abate industries like aviation will need high-quality, permanent, affordable and scalable carbon credits, including removals, to achieve our emissions reduction goals. We are excited to work with Graphyte to help them scale their important new technology.” 

Photo: American Airlines

Tony Harrington

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American Airlines will join an advisory panel established by aircraft manufacturer Embraer to help define its new Energia family of low-or-no-emission regional airliners. The Brazilian airframer is considering four aircraft concepts, ranging from 9- to 50-seat capacity, powered by a mix of electric, hydrogen and hybrid propulsion systems. Initially, the airframer is focused on 19-seat and 30-seat versions of two proposed aircraft, one powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system, the other hydrogen-electric. Embraer is targeting technology readiness of the Energia Hybrid E19-HE and E30-HE aircraft by the early 2030s, and the Energia H2 Fuel Cell models E19-H2FC and E30-H2FC by 2035. American is a major operator of Embraer jets, as is another recent addition to the Energia advisory group, US contract carrier Republic Airways, which operates over 200 Embraer jets on behalf of American, Delta and United.

While most public discourse on sustainable aviation concentrates on reducing the carbon emissions of large, medium-to-long-range aircraft, predominantly by increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuels, it is the short-haul sector in which novel propulsion technologies are being developed, tested and certified, before being evolved for use in larger planes.

Currently, most focus is on retrofitting existing turboprop aircraft with new electric, hybrid-electric or hydrogen-electric powertrains, which are faster and far less expensive to certify and introduce than all-new aircraft models. But while providing low-emission propulsion for in-service aircraft, the new powertrains will also help pave the way for a new generation of ‘clean sheet’ aircraft such as Embraer’s Energia range.   

“American operates the youngest mainline fleet and the largest regional fleet among US network carriers,” explained Embraer, “and in 2022 consumed more than 2 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. It has also invested in the development of hydrogen-powered propulsion and infrastructure.”

Arjan Meijer, CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said American had signed a MoU to help define the performance and design characteristics of the Energia aircraft concepts as part of a broader advisory group, with members including airlines, aircraft lessors, engine manufacturers and other suppliers. “It’s essential for Energia’s success that we involve a wide variety of air operators,” he said. “American joining our advisory group, with their huge presence and expertise, is a significant step for the Energia project. This group has developed into a core part of the programme because of the breadth and depth of the expertise the different members bring to the table. We’re excited to work together with a world-leading airline on the biggest challenge our industry faces.”

American’s participation in the Energia project closely followed an order for seven new Embraer E175 jets, to be operated by its wholly-owned subsidiary Envoy Air. Deliveries will begin in Q4 this year, increasing Envoy’s all-Embraer fleet to 141 jets by the end of 2024.

“As the operator of the largest US regional fleet, we believe industry collaborations aimed at advancing decarbonisation technologies are critical to helping aviation reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” said American’s VP of Sustainability, Jill Blickstein. “We look forward to working with Embraer and other members of the Energia Advisory Group to develop next-generation, zero-emission aircraft.”     

Although the Embraer Energia project initially is focused on two concepts, the airframer’s broader ambitions feature four.

The 19- and 30-seat Energia hybrid-electric concept aircraft are planned to operate up to 500 nautical miles (926 kilometres), and achieve CO2 emission reductions of 30% if operated with Jet A1 fuel, or up to 90% with SAF, while the Energia H2 Fuel Cell models are being designed to operate over 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres).

Embraer is also considering a 9-seat all-electric version, the E9-FE, again with a 200 nm range, while the largest concept under consideration, the Energia H2 Gas Turbine aircraft (E50-H2GT), will use either SAF or hydrogen to power a gas turbine. The dual fuel options for modified gas turbine engines would offer operational flexibility and lower aircraft weight, enabling a flight range of 350-500 nm (648-926 km) with 35-50 passengers, and technology readiness by 2040. 

To progress its zero-emission aircraft ambitions, Embraer has also joined forces with UK-headquartered GKN Aerospace to help accelerate the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft, exploring innovative hydrogen fuel cell technologies, optimised integration of these propulsion systems into airframes, and even the potential for a hydrogen flight demonstrator.

Through its H2Gear programme, GKN is already exploring development of a fuel cell system which converts liquid hydrogen to electricity. Initially, it is targeting use in sub-regional aircraft, but with potential to upscale for larger planes. 

Image: Embraer’s Energia Family concept

Tony Harrington

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A study led by Google Research and Breakthrough Energy, together with support from American Airlines, has found that by using artificial intelligence (AI) based predictions to make small modifications to routes that were projected to create contrails, their formation could be reduced by 54%, although avoidance burned 2% additional fuel. Other recent studies have shown that only a small percentage of flights need to be adjusted to avoid the majority of contrail warming. Therefore, say the researchers, the total fuel impact could be as low as 0.3% across an airline’s flights, suggesting contrails could be avoided at scale for around $5-25/ton CO2e using the predictions, making it a cost-effective warming reduction measure that could be improved still further with enhancements. A small group of American pilots flew 70 test flights over six months, after which Google Research analysed satellite imagery.

Cirrus clouds created by aircraft contrails are said to account for around 35% of aviation’s global warming impact During the day, the clouds reflect back incoming sunlight and warmth but nighttime contrails trap heat and a net warming effect takes place. However, contrails only form in ice-supersaturated air below a critical temperature threshold, within areas tending to be tens to hundreds of kilometres in the horizontal and only a few hundred metres in the vertical extent.

“The challenge is knowing where these regions will occur,” said researchers from Google. “By combining massive quantities of weather data, satellite data and flight data, AI can create state-of-the-art predictions of when and where contrails are likely to be formed. Pilots and dispatchers can then use this information to adjust the altitudes of their flights.”

The research team developed an approach to leverage and analyse satellite imagery, and spent hundreds of hours labelling tens of thousands of contrail images collected by the geostationary satellite, GOES-16. Labelled data was used to train a computer vision model to detect contrails when they are formed. The detection model can identify contrails that are visible within GOES imagery in a matter of 30 minutes, say the researchers, who then combined the computer vision model with large-scale weather data, flight data and satellite images to develop a more accurate prediction model.

The contrail-likely zone predictions were integrated into the tablets American’s pilots used in flight, so they could make real-time adjustments in altitude to avoid creating contrails, just as they would do to avoid turbulence. The prediction model’s performance was then evaluated using satellite imagery to compare the number of contrails produced in flights where pilots used the predictions against where they were not.

“We now have the first proof point that commercial flights can use these predictions to avoid contrails, as verified in satellite imagery,” said Juliet Rothenberg, Head of Product for Climate AI at Google Research. “We’re grateful for our partnership with American Airlines and Breakthrough Energy – together we’ve taken a significant step towards understanding a high-potential climate solution.”

Google Research said it planned to extend its models to geostationary satellites over Europe, Africa, the Indian Ocean, East Asia and Western Australia.

“The results from this small-scale test are encouraging and, while there are more questions to answer about how to operationalise contrails avoidance across our industry, we’re excited to have played a role in establishing their first proof point,” said Jill Blickstein, VP Sustainability at American. “And we’re looking forward to sharing what we learned with stakeholders in the aviation industry and beyond.”          

Added Marc Shapiro, Director of Breakthrough Energy Contrails: “Avoiding contrails might be one of the best ways to limit aviation’s climate impact, and now we have a clear demonstration that it’s possible to do so. This study is a great example of what happens when creative, ambitious organisations work together to better understand and solve a tough problem.”

The study follows the setting up of a cross-sector task force last year of aviation industry, tech sector and academic leaders to explore opportunities to address the warming impact of certain contrails. Assembled by RMI and Breakthrough Energy, the Contrail Impact Task Force includes airlines Alaska, American, Southwest, United and Virgin Atlantic, as well as Airbus, Boeing, Flightkeys, Google Research and Imperial College London.

It aims to reduce the climate impact from contrails by:

• Sharing and expanding on the latest science on the climate impact of contrails;
• Developing actionable strategies to avoid warming contrails;
• Analysing the operational and financial challenges of implementing potential solutions; and
• Establishing a roadmap for implementation and validation of contrail mitigation tools.

“The creation of the task force is a significant step in fostering the industry’s climate action. As a cross-industry stakeholder group, it demonstrates leadership and continued commitment to reduce aviation’s climate impact,” said an RMI blog. “The exact contribution of contrails to climate warming may still be uncertain, but a collaborative approach can serve as a catalyst for developing a greater understanding of contrail science, prediction and verification tools, and mitigation opportunities.”

Top image: Google AI detecting contrails over the United States, based on satellite imagery

Christopher Surgenor

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American Airlines has announced a strategic investment in distribution and logistics group Universal Hydrogen, the airline’s second hydrogen propulsion partnership in just a few months. Universal Hydrogen offers modular hydrogen capsules transported directly to airports for loading onto the aircraft they will fuel, eliminating the need for fixed fuelling infrastructure. Test flights are expected to begin by the end of this year using a DHC Dash 8-300 testbed aircraft, with deliveries of Universal’s hydrogen fuel capsules expected to commence from 2025, initially for regional planes but with plans to progress to larger single-aisle aircraft. In August, American invested in hydrogen powertrain company ZeroAvia and signed an MoU to acquire up to 100 of its ZA-2000RJ hydrogen-electric engines to retrofit regional jets.  American’s investments in Universal and ZeroAvia coincide with the growing interest in hydrogen propulsion. Last month, Universal announced a Danish collaboration with regional carrier DAT and energy production and distribution company Everfuel for zero-emission domestic flights.

Commenting on its Universal deal, American Airlines CFO Derek Kerr said: “This technology has the potential to be a game-changer on the industry’s path to zero-emission flight. As the world’s largest airline, American has a responsibility to exercise leadership in making aviation sustainable. Our investment in Universal Hydrogen represents a vote of confidence for green hydrogen as a key element of a sustainable future for our industry.”

American said the move made it the first airline in the US to make two direct investments focused on the development of both hydrogen-electric propulsion technology and the future of hydrogen distribution logistics, and supported its science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and the commitment to net zero GHG emissions by 2035.

Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen, stated the company was collaborating with strategic investors to make hydrogen propulsion “a near-term commercial reality” for the airline industry. In addition to American, its shareholders include Airbus Ventures, GE Aviation and Toyota Ventures. “This move by American is a strong signal that customers want a true zero-emissions solution for passenger aviation and are willing to back tangible, pragmatic steps to get there quickly,” he said.

Universal Hydrogen expects to begin fuel deliveries for retrofitted regional aircraft in 2025, with plans to progress to larger, single-aisle planes, initially providing auxiliary power from the late 2020s, and graduating to primary fuel by the mid-2030s.  “Because these segments represent two-thirds of aviation emissions, and with green hydrogen being a true zero-carbon fuel, these advances put aviation on a path to meet Paris Agreement emissions targets,” the company said.

By the end of 2025, zero-emission flight using clean hydrogen is expected in Denmark, following the collaborative agreement by DAT, Everfuel and Universal Hydrogen, which aims to bring into service hydrogen-powered, 56-seat ATR 72-600 regional aircraft on DAT routes in Denmark, with a goal of converting all of DAT’s domestic routes to zero-emission flights by 2030. Universal Hydrogen will provide fuel services to supply green hydrogen produced by Everfuel using its modular capsules without needing changes to existing airport infrastructure. Based in Herning, Denmark, Everfuel will produce the green hydrogen for the partnership using renewable energy at its first power-to-X plant in Frederica.

The collaboration was announced simultaneously with a request for tender by the Danish government to develop zero-emission commercial flights in the country.

“Collectively, DAT, Everfuel and Universal Hydrogen possess the expertise needed to achieve Denmark’s ambitious target of achieving not just net zero but true zero emissions commercial flight as early as 2025,” said Eremenko. “DAT’s domestic network is a perfect early application for hydrogen fuel, and with the support of Everfuel, we can rapidly develop a complete hydrogen ecosystem in Denmark to usher in a new golden age of aviation built on clean flight.”

Meanwhile, ZeroAvia has entered into a joint development agreement with aerospace group Textron Aviation to support the development of hydrogen-electric powertrains for Cessna Grand Caravan 208B commuter planes. Through this partnership, ZeroAvia will secure a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to retrofit a single-engine Grand Caravan with a ZA600 zero-emission propulsion system, for use on both passenger and cargo flights.

With more than 2,400 Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft delivered, ZeroAvia said there was huge potential to convert the type to zero-emission powertrains. The company is currently retrofitting its new powertrain into the first of two 19-seat Dornier 228 testbed aircraft, this one at Cotswold Airport in the UK, ahead of test flights in coming weeks. The second test plane is based in the US.

Val Miftakhov, the Founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, said the company aimed drive a revolution in sustainable flight, adding: “Hydrogen-electric powertrains are the only viable, scalable solution for zero-emission aviation.

“The famous Cessna Grand Caravan is on track to be one of the first airframes operating commercial services, both cargo and passenger, with hydrogen-electric, zero-emission engines,” he said. “We applaud the visionary leadership of Textron Aviation in joining us to help transform a much-loved mainstay of sub-regional aviation into a symbol of sustainable transformation in aviation.”

Because of its high-wing design, the Cessna Caravan could carry hydrogen fuel tanks beneath its wings, said ZeroAvia, enabling zero-emission flight without compromising passenger or freight capacity in the main cabin of the aircraft.  ZeroAvia will develop its ZA600 powertrain for Grand Caravan aircraft using data, engineering and certification support from Textron.

In addition to these deals, ZeroAvia has acquired HyPoint, a leading fuel cell stack producer, whose high-temperature fuel cell technology can potentially increase the power output and energy density of aviation fuel cell powertrains.

“We see this as a significant step forward for ZeroAvia, and a hugely important strategic step to strengthen our leadership position in hydrogen-electric powertrain development for aviation,” said Miftakhov. “There are no other organisations with the breadth of expertise and world-leading IP in hydrogen-electric aviation that we now have within the company. “

Alex Ivanenko, the former CEO of HyPoint, said the acquisition was “the natural next chapter in our journey, allowing us to tap into the benefits of the larger and strategic resources that ZeroAvia has to offer.”

Photo: Universal Hydrogen

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Lufthansa Group have each announced major new commitments to purchase sustainable aviation fuel, collectively exceeding 1.2 billion gallons. American, the world’s biggest airline group, has committed to buy 500 million gallons from biofuels producer Gevo over five years, commencing in 2026, and Alaska Airlines will source 185 million gallons of SAF from Gevo in a five-year commitment, also starting in 2026. American and Alaska are both members of the oneworld airline alliance, which last year agreed to a collective target of using 10% of combined fuel volumes by 2030, having been the first global alliance to announce a target of carbon neutrality by 2050 in September 2020. Lufthansa Group has announced a seven-year partnership with Shell to globally source 1.8 million metric tons (around 600 million gallons) between 2024 and 2030. The three deals represent the largest single commitments to SAF by each of the companies, reports Tony Harrington. Meanwhile, Lufthansa Group is now offering a new ‘Green Fare’ that already includes full CO2 compensation in the price.

The latest SAF agreement by American boosts its total low-carbon fuel commitments to over 620 million gallons. But it accounts for just 20% of what is needed to meet its 10% by 2030 goal, says the airline.  “The use of SAF is a cornerstone of our strategy to decarbonise air travel,” said Jill Blickstein, American’s VP Sustainability. “While this landmark investment represents meaningful action by American Airlines, driving progress at the scale and pace we need requires critical policy action in Washington and at the State level.”

Announcing its new SAF deal, fellow oneworld member Alaska Airlines, which has set an ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2040, also amped up pressure for greater policy support to increase the availability of affordable supplies of sustainable fuels. “SAF is the most immediate path we have towards decarbonisation of aviation, but we recognise there is significant work required ahead – including public policy action – to make SAF a viable, affordable option at scale,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska’s SVP Public Affairs and Sustainability.

In Europe, Lufthansa Group, a member of the rival Star Alliance, has signed an MoU with Shell International Petroleum to investigate the supply of SAF at airports around the world. Comprising Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Group is the largest collective user of SAF in Europe, it claims. The company said its deal with Shell would be “one of the most significant commercial SAF co-operations in the aviation industry” and the biggest SAF commitment of either company to date. The MoU is also expected to progress Shell’s ambition to ensure SAF comprised 10% of its aviation fuel sales by 2030.

“The Lufthansa Group has been involved in SAF research for many years, has built up an extensive network of partnerships and is driving forward the introduction of sustainable next-generation aviation fuels in particular,” the company added. “Special focus is placed on the forward-looking power-to-liquid and sun-to-liquid technologies, which use renewable energies or thermal energy as energy carriers.”

By using SAF, customers can already fly carbon-neutral today, said the Group. Additionally, they can document their reduced CO2 emissions with audited certificates and have the CO2 savings credited to their individual CO2 balance.

Coinciding with its SAF offtake announcement, the Group announced that four of its members – Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines – had introduced a new range of ‘Green Fares’ that include “full CO2 compensation” in the price. The fares will be available for Economy and Business Class flights within Europe, initially for passengers travelling from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and displayed alongside other fares types in online booking screens immediately after flight selection. The new fares also include the option of free rebooking, as well as extra status and award miles. From autumn, they will also be available through travel agencies in Scandinavia.

“The Lufthansa Group is the first international aviation group to offer its customers a separate ‘green fare’ for CO2-neutral flying with SAF,” it stated. Through the pilot project, 80% of carbon offsetting will be achieved through high-quality climate protection projects and 20% through the use of SAF, the company added. 

“We want to make CO2-neutral flying a matter of course in the future,” commented Christina Foerster, a member of Lufthansa Group’s Executive Board, responsible for brand and sustainability. “People don’t just want to fly and discover the world. They also want to protect it. We are driven by the need to support our customers with the right offers.”

Photo: Lufthansa

American Airlines has become the latest high-profile backer of hydrogen propulsion pioneer ZeroAvia, announcing an investment in the company and signing an MoU to acquire up to 100 zero-emission ZA2000-RJ hydrogen-electric engines to retrofit regional jets. The ZeroAvia announcement comes shortly after a five-year commitment by American to purchase 500 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel from producer Gevo and the airline taking delivery of the first-ever batch of CORSIA-certified SAF from Neste. The new partnership with American extends a recent run of significant deals for ZeroAvia, as it progresses three hydrogen-electric powertrain concepts and the Hydrogen Airport Refueling Ecosystem, reports Tony Harrington. These include agreements with US regional airline Ravn Alaska, MONTE, MHIRJ, Otto Aviation, Shell, Edmonton International Airport and PowerCell.

Commenting on the deal with American, ZeroAvia CEO Val Miftakhov said: “Having support from the world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight.” Responded American’s CFO, Derek Kerr: “Our investment in ZeroAvia’s emerging hydrogen-electric engine technology has the potential to play a key role in the future of sustainable aviation.”

ZeroAvia is one of the fastest-moving players in the aviation industry’s drive to decarbonise operations, with one Dornier 228 testbed at work in the UK and a second soon to take flight in the US. The company’s hydrogen-electric engine projects, to convert existing fossil-fuelled aircraft to zero-emission power, have already attracted investors including British Airways and its parent, International Airlines Group, plus Alaska Airlines and the world’s third-largest carrier, United, which has also announced orders for up to 100 ZA2000-RJ engines. American’s investment in ZeroAvia, the terms of which have not been disclosed, and its plan to re-engine regional jets, further highlights the growing attraction of converting existing aircraft to new propulsion systems as an express path to low-or-no emission flight.

Testing is well advanced on the prototype of ZeroAvia’s first hydrogen propulsion system, the ZA600, which is designed to power 10-20 seat aircraft, with certification expected in 2024. Its second programme, the ZA2000, will power 40-90 seat turboprop airliners, typically re-engined De Havilland Canada and European ATR models, and the ZA2000-RJ, supported by United and now American, is initially targeting CRJ regional jets, which are operated by both of the US giants. “We are excited to contribute to this industry development and look forward to exploring how these engines can support the future of our airline as we build American Airlines to thrive forever,” said American’s Kerr.

During the recent Farnborough Airshow, Ravn Alaska announced orders for 30 ZA2000 powertrains to convert its fleet of De Havilland Q100 and Q300 turboprop aircraft, while in Saudi Arabia, The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) revealed plans to introduce up to 30 zero-emission Cessna Caravan seaplanes to serve a new luxury eco-tourism region and signed an MoU with ZeroAvia to explore retrofitting the planes. “As we gear up to welcome our first guests early next year, the topic of smart and sustainable mobility is a hot one,” said Andreas Flourou, Executive Director, Operations – Mobility at TRSDC. “ZeroAvia is a leader in supplying zero-emission aircraft and we’re excited to bring them on board as a valuable partner as we seek to create the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destination.”

These deals closely followed an announcement by UK-based MONTE Aircraft Leasing of an order for up to 100 ZeroAvia ZA600 powertrains to convert new or existing Cessna Caravans, DHC-6 Twin Otters, Dornier 228s and HAL-228s from 2024, and a collaboration with Otto Aviation to power the Celera, a new, low-drag, novel-shaped aircraft capable of seating up to 19 passengers.

“The majority of our commercial deals to date have focused on retrofit and line-fit for existing airframes, which is essential to deliver zero-emission flight to market as quickly as possible,” said ZeroAvia’s Miftakhov. “However, efficiency gains from new airframe designs can expand the impact of zero-emission aviation. We are pleased to collaborate with innovators like Otto Aviation, bringing cutting-edge clean sheet designs to market as we can optimise the hydrogen-electric propulsion system for those designs.”

In another collaboration to help expedite development of its zero emission powertrains, ZeroAvia recently expanded an existing agreement with MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ), formed in 2020 when Mitsubishi Heavy Industries acquired Canada’s CRJ regional jet programme. MHIRJ will support ZeroAvia with engineering services, aircraft integration and CRJ expertise in the conversion to hydrogen propulsion of this family of 50-100 seat jets, the same types which United and American are planning to re-engine with ZA2000-RJ engines.

To help optimise the performance of its powertrains, ZeroAvia has announced an MoU with hydrogen fuel stack manufacturer PowerCell Sweden for joint development and delivery of at least 5,000 optimised Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel stacks between 2024 and 2028. PowerCell will co-locate with ZeroAvia in the UK to modify hydrogen fuel stacks for use in aircraft, with final agreement on the collaboration expected in the third quarter of this year.

As well as new partnerships to progress its powerplants, ZeroAvia has also formed alliances to help expedite the delivery of hydrogen, not only for aircraft use but also for broader deployment at airports.

Strategic investor Shell will design and build two commercial-scale mobile refuellers to be used at ZeroAvia’s research and development plant in Hollister, California, and will provide compressed, low-carbon hydrogen at that plant and other western US locations to support ZeroAvia’s proving flight programme with its second Dornier 228 testbed. The Shell deal will also help to progress ZeroAvia’s Hydrogen Airport Refueling System (HARE).

 “We believe ZeroAvia’s technology is a viable option, and this agreement will allow us to demonstrate successful provision of low-carbon hydrogen supply while supporting development of codes, standards, and refuelling protocols for hydrogen-powered aviation,” said Shell’s GM Hydrogen, Oliver Bishop.

Meanwhile, in Canada, ZeroAvia has just partnered with Edmonton International Airport (EIA) to investigate the infrastructure required to deliver hydrogen not only for aircraft, but also to help to decarbonise ground operations. EIA and ZeroAvia will collaborate to develop hydrogen infrastructure at both Edmonton’s main airport and Villeneuve Airport, a general aviation facility. The companies will conduct a pilot programme to fuel a demonstrator aircraft and other airport operations, and will work towards establishing some of the world’s first hydrogen-powered air routes. Initially, they will use gaseous hydrogen as a fuel, while investigating a step-up to liquid hydrogen, which is needed for aircraft with more than 50 seats.

American’s new investment in ZeroAvia follows the announcement during Farnborough of $30 million in fresh capital from International Airlines Group, the parent of carriers including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL. Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, Saudi Arabia’s hydrogen-based future city project, NEOM, and the multi-stage impact technology fund AENU also participated in the latest fundraising.

Image: American Airlines aims to retrofit its regional jets with ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric ZA2000-RJ powertrain

The first ever consignment of CORSIA-certified sustainable aviation fuel has been delivered to American Airlines at San Francisco International Airport. The world’s largest airline received the fuel from Neste as part of a pilot programme to certify SAF that airlines can use to meet their emissions obligations under ICAO’s carbon offsetting scheme for international aviation. The unspecified volume of SAF was delivered to American as the airline released its 2021 ESG Report, in which it reveals it used 1.4 million gallons of sustainable fuel last year, 0.05% of total fuel consumption. American has a goal of replacing 10% of jet fuel with SAF by 2030. In his introduction to the report, CEO Robert Isom said it was essential for long-term success of the airline to prepare for a carbon-constrained future by running a more fuel-efficient fleet powered by low-carbon fuel. In April, it received validation from the Science Based Targets Initiative for its interim 2035 GHG reduction target, the first airline to achieve this, reports Tony Harrington.

Under CORSIA, an airline can claim reduced GHG emissions against their offsetting obligations from the use of eligible fuels. Because CORSIA’s SAF certification process is new, American and Neste initiated a pilot project to certify a batch of the fuel to identify any challenges. In doing so, they became the first to receive CORSIA-certified SAF, which requires independent attestation by an ICAO-approved Sustainability Certification Scheme. Neste chose the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC), a global system which verifies sustainable feedstocks.

“Sustainable fuel is widely acknowledged as a key element in achieving the aviation industry’s goals for carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and reaching net zero emissions by 2050,” said Thorsten Lange, Neste’s EVP, Renewable Aviation. “The pilot with American Airlines was a perfect opportunity for proving the feasibility of delivering CORSIA-certified SAF and gaining useful insights into setting up the process and the challenges we need to overcome to enable the implementation of CORSIA. Cooperation with American, ISCC and all others involved was absolutely critical in achieving this important milestone. We will be sharing our experiences in ICAO’s upcoming environmental report.”

American’s Head of ESG, Jill Blickstein, said: “American is proud to partner with Neste to demonstrate how SAF can meet the robust sustainability standards that ICAO has established for CORSIA. Our work together will also help to demonstrate to American’s customers that SAF can meet these high standards.”

The airline’s latest ESG Report focuses heavily on the importance of SAF as a decarbonisation tool and details the airline’s use and ongoing commitment to using the fuel, including a SAF offtake agreement late last year to source from US renewable fuels company Aemetis 16 million gallons of SAF per year, for seven years, commencing in 2024 – a total of 112 million gallons, which brings total purchase commitments to date to over 120 million gallons.

Isom says American was the only US airline to report using more than 1 million gallons of SAF in 2021.

On climate change, American said its strategy was to “anticipate, mitigate and respond to climate-related risks and to thrive in an uncertain future. The clearest near-term way for us to decarbonise is by using SAF, which is why purchasing and helping scale SAF production is the cornerstone of our climate strategy this decade. SAF will also be the key to achieving the in-sector reductions required to meet our science-based target for 2035.

“American’s science-based target is to reduce carbon intensity – which means greenhouse gas emissions per unit of passenger and cargo payload that the airline transports – by 45% by 2035, compared to a 2019 baseline. In setting this goal, we are committing to reduce the intensity associated with the entire life cycle emissions of jet fuel.

“This includes both direct emissions (Scope 1) – which are primarily from the jet fuel used in flight – and the emissions from the production of the jet fuel the airline uses (Scope 3). In April 2022, we received validation from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) that our intermediate 2035 GHG reduction target complies with the SBTi criteria. That makes us the first airline globally to achieve this milestone.”

To help manage its Scope 3 emissions, American has approached its key fuel suppliers to better understand the emissions created in production and distribution of jet fuel. “About 76% of American’s Scope 3 emissions are from jet fuel, including the fuel used by our contracted regional carriers and the upstream emissions from our fuel suppliers,” says the report. “These upstream ‘well-to-pump’ emissions – including extraction, crude transport, refining and product transport – constitute approximately 20% of petroleum jet fuel life cycle emissions. To move the needle on our Scope 3 emissions, we know we must work with our fuel suppliers to better understand the steps they are taking to reduce emissions within their operations.”

Image: American Airlines

At least nine of the 14 members of the oneworld airline alliance will between them purchase 350 million gallons (1.3 billion litres) of blended sustainable aviation fuel from California-based renewable fuels company Aemetis for flights from San Francisco International Airport over a seven-year period, commencing in 2024, reports Tony Harrington. Initially, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Qatar Airways will look to using the fuel, a blend of 40% sustainable product and 60% petroleum jet fuel, with other oneworld carriers potentially joining the programme in coming months. American Airlines, with the largest share, has signed an offtake for 280 million gallons of blended fuel (120 million gallons of SAF) with Aemetis. In a separate initiative by a oneworld member, Malaysia Airlines has partnered with Petronas, the Malaysian government-owned oil and gas company, to introduce SAF by 2025 and to explore new technologies to further reduce its carbon emissions.

The oneworld partnership with Aemetis followed a joint request to fuel suppliers for the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel. Waste wood from orchards and forests will be used to produce cellulosic hydrogen, which will then be combined with waste and non-edible sustainable oils, and zero carbon intensity hydroelectric power, to make sustainable aviation fuel at the Aemetis Carbon Zero plant, which is currently being developed in Riverview, near California’s capital, Sacramento. The process technology is licensed from Axens in France, a global technology provider to the oil and chemical industries.

The renewable jet/diesel plant is on the site of a 125-acre former US Army Ammunition production plant. To further reduce carbon intensity, the Carbon Zero production process includes injecting CO2 from the production plant into a sequestration well at the plant site to permanently capture an estimated 200,000 tonnes per year of CO2.

The Chairman of oneworld, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Our alliance is standing together with the industry in supporting the transition to net zero. As sustainable aviation fuel will play an important role in meeting aviation’s decarbonisation targets, we are proud to establish another milestone and drive the SAF use at commercial scale.” The alliance’s Chief Executive, Rob Gurney, added the Aemetis deal “continues to demonstrate what we can achieve together as an alliance and underlines the importance of collaboration in the important work to advance environmental sustainability. This latest milestone signals our commitment in driving forward momentum for the development of sustainable aviation fuel.”

The American Airlines purchase has an aggregated value of more than $1.1 billion, including LCFS, RFS, 45Q and tax credits. American has agreed to take delivery of 16 million gallons of Aemetis SAF annually over a seven-year period from 2024, with the blended fuel delivered to SFO.

“We’re proud to join with our oneworld partners in supporting the growth of SAF through this agreement with Aemetis, and we’re eager to continue collaborating with like-minded partners to meet aviation’s climate challenge,” said the airline’s CEO, Doug Parker.

As well as producing SAF, said Eric McAfee, the founder and CEO of Aemetis, the company’s new plant is designed to deliver direct social benefits, cutting air pollution in disadvantaged local communities by reducing orchard wood burning in fields, and creating more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs in a lower-income agricultural area.

On the opposite side of the Pacific, oneworld member Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Petronas Dagangan Berhad (PDB) and Petronas Research Sdn Bhd (PRSB) to help decarbonise air transport through the use of low carbon and sustainable fuels, innovation and technologies for carbon reduction, carbon offset and waste management, research and development for low carbon applications, and a combined advocacy campaign. As well, the companies will explore carbon capture technologies and potential uses for robotics, remotely operated infrastructure, machine learning and augmented reality in their collaboration to help decarbonise air transport. The company’s five airline divisions, led by Malaysia Airlines, operate more than 100 aircraft, ranging from regional DHC-6 Twin Otters to long haul Airbus A350s.

“MAG is committed and will continue to play an active role towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said the Group’s CEO, Captain Izham Ismail. “We believe SAF is one of the most significant components for aviation and we are proud to announce this landmark collaboration with one of our top suppliers, underlining Petronas’ support towards this goal.  We also look forward to the support from all stakeholders including key suppliers across the ecosystem, the government and customers.” 

The California and Malaysia deals closely follow the collective decision of oneworld’s members that by 2030, SAF will comprise 10% of the fuel they use to power their flights. The initiatives also coincided with an agreement by British Airways to introduce, potentially within months, SAF produced in the UK by oil refiner Phillips 66 (see article), and an announcement by Qantas that it was finalising its first major order for SAF, and discussing with manufacturers Airbus, Boeing and Embraer ways to expedite the development of SAF-compatible aircraft, ahead of an order for 100-plus narrowbody jets.

Photo: Qatar Airways