Airbus Unveils Next-Generation Hydrogen Aircraft Plans at 2025 Summit
Key Ideas
- Airbus presented plans for a next-generation single-aisle aircraft and updated ZEROe project roadmap focusing on hydrogen-powered flight at the 2025 Summit.
- The company showcased a concept of a hydrogen aircraft with four 2-megawatt electric propulsion engines and liquid hydrogen tanks, aiming to revolutionize air transport sustainably.
- Airbus is committed to decarbonizing aviation through hydrogen-powered flight, emphasizing the potential of fully electric aircraft with hydrogen fuel cells to transform air transport for the better.
- Airbus is advancing storage, distribution, and propulsion systems for hydrogen-powered aircraft, with integrated ground testing planned for 2027 in Munich to validate the system comprehensively.
During the 2025 Airbus Summit, Airbus revealed its plans for a next-generation single-aisle aircraft slated to enter service in the 2030s, alongside updates to its ZEROe project roadmap, with a focus on advancing technologies related to hydrogen-powered flight. Airbus emphasized its dedication to bringing a commercially viable hydrogen aircraft to the market, presenting technology building blocks for fully electric, fuel-cell powered commercial aircraft. The concept showcased at the Summit featured a hydrogen aircraft powered by four 2-megawatt electric propulsion engines driven by a fuel cell system that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy, supplied via liquid hydrogen tanks. Airbus aims to refine this concept through additional tests to mature hydrogen storage, distribution, and propulsion technologies. Airbus executives highlighted the significance of hydrogen in decarbonizing aviation and expressed confidence in the potential of fully electric aircraft with hydrogen fuel cells to revolutionize air transport. The company plans to concentrate on advancing storage, distribution, and propulsion systems for hydrogen-powered aircraft and advocating for the necessary regulatory framework. Airbus has made significant progress in hydrogen propulsion, with demonstrations of a 1.2MW system in 2023 and end-to-end testing in 2024. To address liquid hydrogen handling challenges, Airbus collaborated with Air Liquide Advanced Technologies to develop the Liquid Hydrogen BreadBoard in Grenoble, France. Integrated ground testing is scheduled for 2027 in Munich to validate the system thoroughly, combining the propulsive bench and hydrogen distribution system.
Topics
Training
Aviation
Technology
Innovation
Sustainability
Decarbonization
Future Plans
Electric Propulsion
Airbus
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