Jet set, go green - Hydrogen's high-flying future

The boss of easyJet airline has led an aviation industry call for the UK government to put more public money into helping hydrogen-powered passenger planes get off the ground.

The low-cost airline has joined an alliance of companies including RollsRoyce, Airbus and GKN Aerospace in urging ministers to help fund the development of the nascent technology, which offers the possibility of flying with zero emissions in the coming decades, reports The Financial Times.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s Chief Executive, said the UK had a “leading” hydrogen sector, but needed to improve its record in scaling up promising startup technologies.

“We need to do something that the UK has not always had a good track record for — turning our innovative and exciting research and development into a long-term productive industrial sector,” he said.

The aerospace companies have come together to produce the Launching Hydrogen-Powered Aviation report which acknowledges that the UK government has supported the sector through initiatives such as the Aerospace Technology Institute, the body that allocates state funding for innovation in civil aviation, but also states that significantly more help is needed.

EasyJet and its long-term aircraft manufacturer Airbus have argued that hydrogen will be an important part of the aviation industry’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050, even as other airlines and Boeing have appeared more circumspect.

Airbus plans to have a zero-emissions hydrogen-powered plane ready for service by 2035 and is exploring four different concepts based on either hydrogen combustion or hydrogen fuel cell technology. The manufacturer is working with airports, airlines and energy groups on ways to scale up the infrastructure needed to make hydrogen fuel a reality, but executives have warned that a lack of green production of the gas could hamper progress.

The UK is home to many world-first advances in hydrogen-powered aircraft technology, from hydrogen engine testing to the first flights of hydrogenfuelled planes – making it well placed to be a leader in hydrogen aviation, says the report.

Developing hydrogen’s role in aviation would, according to HIA, secure substantial economic, employment and sustainability benefits. However, to realise these benefits the UK needs an industrial strategy for the sector focussed on these long term opportunities.

However, first the UK will need to secure massive increases in hydrogen supply which will involve the accelerated deployment of renewable and low carbon energy generation and significant investment in hydrogen infrastructure and skills.

Lundgren added: “It’s without doubt that the UK is well placed to be a global leader in hydrogen – but the opportunity will be gone if we do not act now to build on all the great work that has already been done.

“The breakthroughs in hydrogen-powered technology happening across the UK are truly astonishing but these advances will be inconsequential if we fail to complement them with the appropriate skills, infrastructure, investment and regulation needed to support hydrogen aviation.”

Lundgren admitted the costs of developing and using hydrogen seemed “staggering”, but he expected the airline’s next aircraft order, due in the 2030s, to include hydrogen-powered planes.

While he said this could come from either Airbus or Boeing, the European manufacturer has placed a far greater emphasis on developing a hydrogen aircraft than its US rival. Although the company has yet to finalise the size or range of the aircraft executives have previously suggested it will initially produce a regional or shorter-range aircraft that could seat about 100 passengers. The call for more state support in the development of hydrogen technology echoes an aviation industry-wide push for government help in scaling up sustainable aviation fuels, which are less polluting than jet fuel and currently only available in small quantities.

The Department for Transport said hydrogen had an important role to play in the government-endorsed industry roadmap to net zero, adding: “We will continue to work with industry leaders to create a sustainable sector fit for the future — it’s great to see the Hydrogen in Aviation [alliance] leading the way.”

The aviation sector is incredibly valuable to the UK’s economy, bringing in more than £22 billion directly to GDP, plus £34 billion from exporting aerospace components. It also directly employs over 230,000 people.

HIA believes hydrogen will be critical in securing these jobs into the future as zero-emission technology develops, and this will bring immense value to regions all over the UK.

East Midlands Hydrogen, the UK’s largest inland hydrogen cluster estimates its future hydrogen network could support up to 110,000 jobs in just the East Midlands alone – showing the potential that hydrogen has in terms of job creation.

As well as preserving an industry that is a key part of the UK economy, HIA maintains hydrogen could generate an additional £34 billion for the UK every year.

Download the full report here: Hydrogen in Aviation