Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, has recently revealed that the company is planning to launch the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035. "This is a historic moment for the commercial aviation sector as a whole and we intend to play a leading role in the most important transition this industry has ever seen. The concepts we unveil today offer the world a glimpse of our ambition to drive a bold vision for the future of zero-emission flight," he said.
Mr. Faury believes that it will be a relatively easy task to use hydrogen in aviation. This chemical element contains about 2.5 times more energy per kilogram than kerosene, "I strongly believe that the use of hydrogen – both in synthetic fuels and as a primary power source for commercial aircraft – has the potential to significantly reduce aviation's climate impact." Airbus CEO added. However, he also pointed out that the company would need the government’s help to create an aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel. "Given the number of ruptures and changes that we are going to bring to the aviation sector, we need to onboard the regulators," he stated. Before starting such a large-scale project, the company needs to make sure that regulators will support this initiative. According to Faury, in 2027-2028, the company will have to make a final decision on a budget before launching the development of the hydrogen-fueled aircraft.
Airbus underlines that the main problem is not to create a new engine but to obtain hydrogen in the right volume and at an affordable price. The company will not be able to cope with this challenge without support from the government and industrial partners.
Notably, similar projects for rail transport were presented in France. Recently, the world's first hydrogen-powered train, Alstom's Coradia iLint, has come into service. Hydrogen trains are equipped with fuel cells that leave steam and water as the only emissions.
