A group of UK aviation and renewable energy sector companies including easyJet, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Ørsted, GKN Aerospace and Bristol Airport, have established the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance to accelerate the delivery of zero carbon aviation.
“While there are various options for decarbonising the aviation sector, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), synthetic fuels or batteries, HIA believes that more attention should be paid to the potential of the direct use of hydrogen,” said a consortium press release. “Hydrogen is a very promising alternative-fuel option for short-haul aviation. Airbus is developing new hydrogen powered aircraft with the aim of entering commercial service from 2035 and Rolls-Royce has already proven that hydrogen could power a jet engine following successful ground tests in 2022. Furthermore, many smaller operators are making rapid progress on hydrogen-powered aircraft, notably ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen who have already carried out flight tests.”
HIA said it will work with Government, local authorities, and the aviation and hydrogen sectors to enable the UK “to fulfil its potential as a global leader in this critical application of hydrogen technology. This will include setting out the pathway for scaling up the infrastructure and the policy, regulatory and safety frameworks needed so that large scale commercial aviation can become a reality. “
For more information
https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-09-uk-hydrogen-alliance-established-to-accelerate-zero-carbon-aviation