Gabriela Hiitola’s words seem to have echoed from Copenhagen to 1,600 km distant Toulouse. Or she has a huge influence on Airbus, because following her harsh criticism at the recent Nordic Air Cargo Symposium in CPH, of the frame maker’s decision to put H2 aircraft on the backburner, the aircraft manufacturer made a U-turn. Instead of being built in the 2040s, as announced only two months ago, the first H2-powered aircraft is now set to enter service in the second half of the coming decade.
A remarkable volte-face in favor of CO2-free flying, instantly applauded by the international aviation industry and environmental organizations. This also applies to the members of the BSR HyAirport Group, which includes well-known airports such as Gothenburg, Hamburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn and Vilnius in the Baltic States. The group’s mission is to prepare the airports located in the Baltic Sea region to handle hydrogen-powered aircraft according to high security standards, including the storage and delivery of green hydrogen as clean energy source in aviation. In other words, these airports are paving the way for providing the necessary ground infrastructure for H2-propelled aircraft as soon as they enter commercial air traffic, whether as passenger or cargo variants.
Revised ZEROe concept
Contrary to the recent statement by Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, this is now set to take place between 2035 and 2039. This new timeline was announced at the 2025 Airbus Summit in Toulouse. At the meeting, the aircraft manufacturer provided a revised ZEROe project roadmap to mature the technologies. It includes building a framework of key technologies enabling the construction of a fully electric, fuel-cell powered commercial aircraft – a pathway which stands out as the most promising, following years of research into H2 aviation.
At the Summit, Airbus Head of Future Programs, Bruno Fichefeux stated, “While we’ve adjusted our roadmap, our dedication to hydrogen-powered flight is unwavering. Just as we saw in the automotive sector, fully electric aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells have the potential in the longer term to revolutionize air transport for the better, complementing the sustainable aviation fuel pathway.”
Still much to do
To get the aircraft airborne, the engineers opt for four props driven by a fuel cell system that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. The four fuel cell systems, each with an output of 2,000 kW, would be supplied by two liquid hydrogen tanks. This concept will be further refined in the coming years, as additional tests will help to develop the technologies for hydrogen storage and distribution as well as for the propulsion systems, Airbus management illustrated. The company’s Head of the ZEROe Project, Glenn Llewellyn adds, “We explored multiple hydrogen-propulsion concepts before down-selecting this fully electric concept. We are confident it could provide the necessary power density for a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft and could evolve as we mature the technology. In the coming years, we will concentrate on advancing the storage, distribution and propulsion systems, while also advocating for the regulatory framework needed to ensure these aircraft can take flight.”
H2 ecosystem needed
To address liquid hydrogen handling and distribution challenges in flight, Airbus, in collaboration with Air Liquide Advanced Technologies, has developed the Liquid Hydrogen BreadBoard (LH2BB) in Grenoble, France. Integrated ground testing is planned for 2027 at the Electric Aircraft System Test House in Munich, combining the propulsive bench and hydrogen distribution system for comprehensive system validation.
Beyond the aircraft technologies, Airbus will continue to foster the emergence of a hydrogen aviation economy and the associated regulatory framework, which are also indispensable enablers to usher in the hydrogen age of aviation.
