The Canadian aviation company Avmax Aircraft Leasing has signed a deal with Universal Hydrogen to convert 20 regional aircraft to run on “green” hydrogen, the companies announced on Tuesday.
Avmax will be able to choose between Universal Hydrogen’s two conversion kits: one for retrofitting ATR 72-600 turboprops and another for the De Havilland Dash 8-300.
“This order is an important step for Canada’s sizable regional aviation market, which is home to the largest turboprop fleet in the world with nearly 300 Dash-8s and 50 ATRs servicing over 120 airports,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen.
Avmax and Universal Hydrogen are also considering forming a partnership to provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for the converted aircraft. Founded in 1976, Avmax offers a wide array of services beyond aircraft leasing, including MRO, airline operations, engineering, and avionics.
In addition to supplying the 20 conversion kits, California-based Universal Hydrogen has agreed to provide the hydrogen fuel that will power Avmax’s fleet of converted aircraft.
Universal Hydrogen’s fuel system concept uses refillable hydrogen capsules that are transported from fuel-production facilities directly to the aircraft, where they are loaded into the rear fuselage and placed in a compartment that replaces the last two rows of passenger seats. Those lightweight, modular fuel capsules are connected through the aircraft’s dorsal fins to two nacelles, where fuel cells will power electric motors that are installed on the aircraft’s existing propellers.
“Universal Hydrogen’s regional conversion kits allow our existing and future fleet to run on green hydrogen, and Universal Hydrogen is simultaneously unlocking cost-competitive and scalable logistics for hydrogen fuel,” said Scott Greig, senior vice president and head of Avmax Aircraft Leasing. “Offering our customers true zero-emissions products and services sets us apart, and we hope to see other airlines in Canada follow suit. We see green hydrogen as the only solution to fully decarbonizing the industry.”
Avmax isn’t the first customer to place a firm order for Universal Hydrogen’s conversion kits. Just last month, the company announced that it had received a firm order from Massachusetts-based regional carrier Connect Airlines to convert 75 ATR 72-600 regional turboprops. And last year, the company began working with Deutsche Aircraft in Germany to evaluate the possibility of installing its modular hydrogen capsules in the Dornier 328 regional airliner. Universal Hydrogen has said it expects to make the first deliveries of its hydrogen conversion kits by 2025.
