diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/archive.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/archive.ts
index a5994ea035369..e149ac287b5b2 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/archive.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/archive.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import glob = require('glob');
 import path = require('path');
 
 export function zipDirectory(directory: string, outputFile: string): Promise<void> {
-  return new Promise((ok, fail) => {
+  return new Promise(async (ok, fail) => {
     // The below options are needed to support following symlinks when building zip files:
     // - nodir: This will prevent symlinks themselves from being copied into the zip.
     // - follow: This will follow symlinks and copy the files within.
@@ -24,12 +24,16 @@ export function zipDirectory(directory: string, outputFile: string): Promise<voi
     archive.on('error', fail);
     archive.pipe(output);
 
-    files.forEach(file => { // Append files serially to ensure file order
-      archive.append(fs.createReadStream(path.join(directory, file)), {
+    // Append files serially to ensure file order
+    for (const file of files) {
+      const fullPath = path.join(directory, file);
+      const [data, stat] = await Promise.all([fs.readFile(fullPath), fs.stat(fullPath)]);
+      archive.append(data, {
         name: file,
         date: new Date('1980-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'), // reset dates to get the same hash for the same content
+        mode: stat.mode,
       });
-    });
+    }
 
     archive.finalize();
 
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/test-archive/executable.txt b/packages/aws-cdk/test/test-archive/executable.txt
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/test.archive.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/test.archive.ts
index c709cce749765..8eda93cd28465 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/test/test.archive.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/test.archive.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,12 @@ export = {
     test.equal(dates[0], '1980-01-01T00:00:00.000Z', 'Dates are not reset');
     test.equal(new Set(dates).size, 1, 'Dates are not equal');
 
+    // check that mode is preserved
+    const stat = await fs.stat(path.join(extractDir, 'executable.txt'));
+    // tslint:disable-next-line:no-bitwise
+    const isExec = (stat.mode & fs.constants.S_IXUSR) || (stat.mode & fs.constants.S_IXGRP) || (stat.mode & fs.constants.S_IXOTH);
+    test.ok(isExec, 'File is not executable');
+
     await fs.remove(stagingDir);
     await fs.remove(extractDir);
     test.done();