The Scottish Government announced in late May 2025 that ZeroAvia will build a major manufacturing facility in Glasgow to produce its hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain systems. Scottish Enterprise have awarded ZeroAvia a £9m Regional Selective Assistance grant to help realise the project alongside company investment, creating around 350 jobs. ZeroAvia’s new Hydrogen Centre of Excellence in Glasgow will support the company in various manufacturing operations relating to powertrain production and testing. It will also be the company’s primary location for producing advanced high-temperature PEM (HTPEM) fuel cell stacks and supporting systems.
ZeroAvia’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrains can reduce airline operating costs and reduce aviation’s contribution to global warming by emitting only water. The company aims to have its hydrogen fuel cell powertrain for up to 20-seat planes in service by 2026 and it is also working on the next-generation powertrain for 40 to 80-seat aircrafts.
The Hydrogen Centre of Excellence will be situated in the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) in Renfrewshire and is expected to begin operating by 2028, producing advanced fuel cell systems for the ZeroAvia hydrogen-electric aero engines. The high-temperature fuel cells that ZeroAvia will manufacture in the planned Glasgow facility are key to unlocking fuel cell propulsion for larger aircrafts.
Scottish Enterprise awarded the company a grant of £9 million for the project, building on an earlier £20 million investment in the company from the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB).
First Minister John Swinney visited Glasgow Airport to launch the new ZeroAvia facility: “Scotland has the skills, the talent and the innovation to be at the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate emergency while developing significant new opportunities to grow the economy. ZeroAvia’s decision to establish a base in Scotland – creating 350 highly-skilled jobs in the process – is the perfect illustration of Scotland’s growing reputation in the global transition to net zero. Attracting inward investment is critical to economic growth and we will continue to work with Scottish Development International and other partners to bring more high quality jobs to Scotland.”
Val Miftakhov, Founder and Chief Executive, ZeroAvia said: “Scotland has some unique advantages for ZeroAvia with strong aerospace and engineering skills, a burgeoning hydrogen sector and a clear aviation strategy with potential for early adoption of zero-emission flights. The aviation industry is on the cusp of the biggest transformation since the advent of the jet age, with entirely new propulsion systems set to power the next era of aviation – cleaner flights, better economics and better experiences for all. With this new facility, Scotland has a big role to play in driving this transformation.”
Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive Adrian Gillespie added: “It is fantastic that we’ve been able to attract ZeroAvia to Scotland, not only for the jobs they will be creating, but for the hugely important role they can play in ensuring Scotland maintains its reputation for fostering innovative green technologies. Making aviation sustainable is crucial to a successful green economy and Scottish Enterprise is fully committed to backing ambitious companies with innovative ideas.”
You can reach the Scottish Government’s announcement here: https://www.gov.scot/news/major-inward-investment-secured/ and the ZeroAvia news article here: https://zeroavia.com/zeroavia-to-build-manufacturing-hub-in-scotland/
