Airbus A380 hydrogen demonstration aircraft
Airbus A380 hydrogen demonstration aircraft
Airbus says it plans to test One The hydrogen engine on the A380 was revised mid-decade, in the hope of bringing lower-emissions fuel to commercial air travel.
The European aircraft giant said on Tuesday it was working with engine maker CFM International – a joint venture of General ElectricFrance’s aviation branch and France’s Safran – on board the test aircraft, which will include a modified version of the engine already in use, will have to deal with higher temperatures when hydrogen burns. Test flights could begin in 2026, Airbus said.
Aircraft manufacturers and airlines are scrambling to cut their carbon emissions, which account for more than 2% of the world’s total emissions. Airbus has been actively pursuing hydrogen and says it is working on a fuel-powered passenger jet that it expects to enter service in 2035.
Competitor Boeing was focused on more sustainable aviation fuel, which currently accounts for less than 1% of the jet fuel supply and is more expensive than conventional jet fuel. CEO Dave Calhoun said at an investor conference last June that he didn’t expect a hydrogen-powered plane to be “the scale of the planes we’re talking about” before year 2050.
“It will work for some very small packages,” he said.
Richard Aboulafia, chief executive officer of Aerodynamic Advisory, an aeronautical consulting firm, said a major challenge in using hydrogen fuel is that storing it would require additional equipment that increases the weight of the machine. flight, reducing the number of people or cargo that the aircraft can carry. steadiness.
“Hydro is what happens when engineers and economists don’t talk to each other,” he said.
Airbus says it chose the A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, because it has room to store liquid hydrogen tanks and other equipment.
