As part of a deal to establish zero-emission services in the nation’s northeast, Swedish airline Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) will provide turboprop aircraft to ZeroAvia for conversion to hydrogen fuel cell power.
The owner of Skelleftea Airport, which is around 335nm (620km) northeast of Stockholm, and the municipal energy provider Skelleftea Kraft are also parties to the four-party arrangement.
According to ZeroAvia, the agreement calls for BRA to supply aircraft for upcoming demonstrations and to test out commercial routes.
The utilization of the more potent 2,000kW ZA2000 powertrain, intended for 40-80 seats, as well as the 600kW ZA600 powertrain, intended for 9–19 seats, will be assessed by the partners. Both 2025 and 2027 are the projected years for service entrance; no timetable for the demonstration endeavor has been made public.
BRA currently flies 14 ATR 72-600 aircraft, primarily out of its Stockholm Bromma base, operating routes throughout Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. According to ZeroAvia, the ZA2000 will work with both ATR twin-turboprop variants.
In accordance with the ZeroAvia agreement, Skelleftea Airport will look into the infrastructure needed to support hydrogen-powered aircraft, and Skelleftea Kraft will assess the viability of producing green hydrogen using renewable energy sources.
