By AFP - Agence France Presse
Airbus acknowledges slow progress on hydrogen plane
By Tangi QUEMENER
Airbus acknowledged Friday that progress on developing a hydrogen-powered plane has been slower than expected, but said it was not reviewing its approach to decarbonizing aviation.
The European aircraft manufacturer had aimed to produce a zero-emission plane within a decade to help the commercial aviation sector fulfill its promise to become carbon neutral by mid-century.
Airbus has not set a new date for the target.
But according to the FO union, the manufacturer has postponed by five to ten years the date by which it will have a hydrogen plane ready, cut the programme's budget by 25% and decided to review its approach to decarbonization.
Airbus denied that it had made any changes to its approach to decarbonization.
“Our ambition and roadmap to decarbonize the sector remain unchanged,” an Airbus spokesperson told AFP, adding that the company would adjust its hydrogen projects ‘in line with the maturity of the ecosystem and technologies’.
In September 2020, Airbus unveiled three hydrogen-powered concept aircraft, dubbed ZEROe, as its approach to decarbonization.
This set it apart from other players in the sector, which have pursued renewable or synthetic fuels, or electric planes for aircraft operating on short routes.
Airbus said it remains committed to developing a commercially viable hydrogen-powered aircraft and defended the technology.
“Hydrogen has the potential to be a revolutionary energy source for aviation,” the company said, although it acknowledged that developing a commercial ecosystem around the fuel is a major challenge.
“Recent developments show that progress on indispensable elements for this transition, including the large-scale availability of hydrogen from renewable sources, has been slower than expected,” said Airbus.
- Practical challenges
Hydrogen engines produce no greenhouse gas emissions, as their combustion produces water.
But not all hydrogen is clean. Currently, much of it is produced from natural gas or even coal, which results in carbon dioxide emissions.
It can be produced without direct emissions through renewable electricity and water, but this process is generally more expensive.
Transportation and storage of hydrogen also present problems.
As a gas at room temperature, it occupies such a large volume that it is impractical to use it as a fuel. To be liquefied, it needs to be cooled to -253°C (-423°F), and even then, it takes up four times the space of aviation fuel.
The liquefaction process also requires considerable energy expenditure.
Airbus announced in 2022 that it intended to fly an A380 with a fifth engine running on hydrogen in 2025 to test both the storage and burning of the fuel. The FO, Airbus' largest union, said this project had been canceled.
IATA, the airline industry's trade association, believes that the industry will achieve most of its emissions reductions through sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) before innovative technologies such as hydrogen.
On Friday, Airbus agreed that SAF has a key role to play.
“If hydrogen is destined to play a growing role in aviation in the second half of the century, its contribution to meeting the 2050 decarbonization target will complement other solutions, in particular the sustainable aviation fuels that will continue to be essential for medium and long-haul flights,” the company said.
neo-tq/rl/bc
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