Zero-emission, hydrogen-powered air travel is the aim of a new partnership between Gloucestershire-based ZeroAvia and Birmingham Airport.

The companies have commenced a long-term partnership to make on-airfield hydrogen refuelling and regular domestic passenger flights of zero-emission aircraft a reality in the coming years.

ZeroAvia is the leader in zero-emission technologies including hydrogen-electric-powered aircraft, such as those successfully test-flown at its base in Kemble, Gloucestershire, in January.

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, with the only byproduct being water.

ZeroAvia is currently working on bringing to market a zero-emission system capable of flying 20-seat aircraft 300 nautical miles by 2025.

This opens up the possibility of green air travel from Birmingham to destinations like Glasgow, Aberdeen, Belfast and Dublin by the middle of this decade.

In a move that would make zero-emission travel to Mediterranean holiday destinations a reality, ZeroAvia is aiming to get an emissions-free 80-seat aircraft flying up to 1,000 nautical miles by 2027.

For Birmingham Airport, the partnership with ZeroAvia forms an important part of its journey to become a net-zero-carbon airport by 2033, as outlined in its 'carbon roadmap', published in 2022.

The airport plans to use an area near to its disused Elmdon terminal building as a potential location for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, testing and operations.

Arnab Chatterjee, VP infrastructure, ZeroAvia, said: "Birmingham Airport can be a central spoke in a green flight network in the UK, given that any domestic mainland destination will be reachable from the airport using our first systems in 2025.

"Given the commitments of the Jet Zero Strategy on domestic aviation, it is fantastic to engage with forward-thinking airports that want to be early innovators and developers to deliver the vision of bringing truly clean, quiet and pollution-free flights to the UK."

Simon Richards, chief finance & sustainability officer, Birmingham Airport, said: "We are thrilled to partner with ZeroAvia on creating solutions to the main challenge of our generation - protecting the future of our planet. We could, quite conceivably, see the first hydrogen-powered domestic passenger flight taking off from Birmingham Airport in the UK in a few years. That's mind-blowing."