Skip to main content

Airbus shows off striking design of proposed hydrogen-powered plane

Airbus has shown off plans for what could be the first commercial zero-emission aircraft in service by 2035.

Powered by hydrogen combustion in modified gas-turbine engines, the three aircraft designs incorporate a range of configurations and technologies. The turbofan and turboprop concepts feature a familiar look, while the third design sports an eye-catching blended-wing body with a wide interior.

Related Videos
Introducing #ZEROe

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury described the project as a “historic moment for the commercial aviation sector as a whole,” and said he wants his company to play “a leading role in the most important transition this industry has ever seen.”

Faury added that the newly unveiled designs offer a glimpse of the company’s bold ambitions for the future of zero-emission flight, saying, “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.”

If the designs take to the skies, both the turbofan and the cool-looking blended-wing body aircraft would have a range of 2,000 miles and be able to carry up to 200 passengers at a cruising speed of 511 mph, while the turboprop would offer a range of 1,000 miles and fly up to 100 people at a cruising speed of 380 mph.

The aviation industry has had something of an on-off relationship with hydrogen as a fuel for airplanes over the years. In the early 2000s, Airbus’s Cryoplane initiative examined the feasibility of a liquid hydrogen-fueled aircraft, while in 2008 Boeing flew the world’s first hydrogen-powered plane. But just two years later, the industry appeared to turn away from the technology due to the high energy costs associated with creating the fuel.

However, advances in technology have resulted in renewed interest in hydrogen as a power source, leading to other efforts in recent years, with Airbus’s stated intention to double down on research suggesting we could yet see commercial planes powered by hydrogen.

The boss of Airbus certainly believes that with technology continuing to develop, there’s a now a better chance than ever to turn its ideas into reality, with its latest concepts allowing the company to “explore and mature the design and layout of the world’s first climate-neutral, zero-emission commercial aircraft.”

Editors' Recommendations

LG will show off an enormous bendable OLED display at CES 2021
LG Display introduces world’s first 48-inch Bendable Cinematic Sound OLED display

LG will debut the 48-inch bendable OLED display at the virtual CES 2021 event LG

Move over foldable phones: LG is going big for its next bendable display, to be debuted at CES 2021. LG Display will show off the world's first bendable OLED display in a large 48-inch size.

Read more
Boeing 737 Max back in service 2 years after crashes grounded global fleet
Boeing 737 Max 8

Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft is flying paying passengers again almost two years after it was grounded by two deadly crashes.

Following modifications to the aircraft's software and additional pilot training specific to the Max, Brazil’s Gol Airlines became the first carrier to return the aircraft to the skies, flying a 737 Max 8 from Sao Paulo to Porto Alegre 530 miles to the south on Wednesday, December 9.

Read more
Alphabet’s Loon balloon sets new record for longest stratospheric flight
alphabet-project-loon

The high-altitude internet balloons operated by Google parent Alphabet are improving all the time, with one of them recently floating in the stratosphere for a record 312 days, covering a distance of about 135,000 miles.

As part of the ongoing “Loon” project aimed at building a platform capable of providing internet connectivity to remote locations and areas hit by disasters, the team is working to improve the design of its high-altitude balloons to enable them to stay in the sky for longer. Extended flights will help to reduce the system’s overall costs and improve coverage for users on the ground.

Read more