Abstract: A novel zoom design athermalization (ZDA) method was proposed to realize athermalization for airborne CCD camera rapidly and efficiently. The relational model between athermal design and zoom design was built based on optical passive compensation. First a optical system with good performance was designed to satisfy image quality at normal temperature;and then, multiple zooming positions were established to match different temperature statuses, lastly, by means of optimum design, the proper material combination was achieved rapidly and automatically to satisfy the optical system. A athermal design example for complex airborne CCD camera was designed with 650 mm focal length, F/5.6, 5.5 field-of-view in the 0.45-0.70 m waveband by utilizing the ZDA method. The results show that the image quality has a reliable performance with -40-60 ℃ temperature range, and the modulation tranfer function decreases only by 5%. compared with to the previous approaches, the ZDA method has the advantages of convenience, effectiveness, simplification, and no need for external electro-mechanical adjustment. These advantages will allow it to be widely applied in many applications, such as airborne optical system, space optical system.