• ZeroAvia has appointed Christine Ourmières-Widener as Chief Executive Officer as it advances the certification and commercialisation of its hydrogen-electric propulsion technologies.
• The former TAP Air Portugal, Flybe and CityJet CEO will also continue as Chair of the Board.
• She will lead ZeroAvia’s next phase of growth across civil and defence aerospace markets.

ZeroAvia, Inc. announced the appointment of Christine Ourmières-Widener as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. She will lead ZeroAvia as the company advances toward certification, commercialisation and market adoption of its hydrogen-electric propulsion technologies, and continues as Chair of the Board.

Ourmières-Widener has served as Executive Chair of the Board since November 2025, having previously served as a Board Director since February 2021.

With more than three decades of aviation leadership experience, Ourmières-Widener combines deep technical expertise with a proven track record of airline transformation and operational excellence. She previously served as Chief Executive Officer of TAP Air Portugal, Flybe and CityJet, held multiple senior leadership positions within the Air France-KLM Group, and served on the IATA Board of Governors.

A trained aeronautical engineer, Ourmières-Widener began her career at Air France working on the Concorde before moving into senior commercial and executive leadership roles across the aviation sector. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, reflecting her contribution to both engineering and aviation leadership.

Geoff Eisenberg, Board Director and Investor – Ecosystem Integrity Fund said: “The Board concluded that Christine has the experience, leadership and industry perspective to lead ZeroAvia through its next phase. Since assuming operational leadership of the business, she has strengthened the company’s strategic focus and secured key partnerships, while bringing valuable insight from a distinguished career leading airlines.”

Christine Ourmières-Widener, Chair and Chief Executive Officer of ZeroAvia, said: “I am honoured to be appointed Chief Executive Officer of ZeroAvia at such an important moment for the company and the aviation industry.

I understand the priorities of our customers and see huge potential for the business to unlock value across civil and defence aerospace markets. I look forward to leading ZeroAvia through its next phase as we commercialise our products and continue to push the boundaries of the technology.”

ZeroAvia remains focused on accelerating the development and certification of its hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for aviation.

Christine Ourmières-Widener, Executive Chair of ZeroAvia, said: “Hydrogen-electric propulsion has the potential to transform aerospace and defense applications, and collaboration is essential to accelerating that transition. By working hand-in-hand with Safran, we are helping to advance technologies that are critical to building a better, cleaner future for flight.”

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