Airbus expects first hydrogen airliner to seat around 80 passengers
Airbus commercial aircraft chief Lars Wagner says the manufacturer's first hydrogen fuel-cell airframe will target roughly 80 seats, with a smaller design expected to fly first. He gave few technical details, citing competitive sensitivity.
Airbus expects its first hydrogen fuel-cell airliner to carry about 80 passengers, according to Lars Wagner, head of its commercial aircraft business. He described the propeller-driven, zero-emission concept as moving from study toward reality.
Wagner declined to give the design configuration or the number of engines, saying that information is commercially sensitive. The 80-seat figure, he said, is where physics, the amount of hydrogen an airframe can carry, and commercial viability meet. He called it the starting point, with room to grow to larger sizes later.
Before any in-service model, the company most likely would run test flights using a 20-seat design, Wagner said. He framed the hydrogen programme as a second major project alongside Airbus's proposed next-generation single-aisle aircraft, with service entry in the 2040-plus timeframe, though he said the date is hard to pin down today. The current focus is maturing the propulsion technology.
Airbus has formed a joint venture with MTU Aero Engines to combine the two companies' work on hydrogen and propulsion systems in Europe. Wagner said the arrangement marks the first time Airbus has taken on the role of an engine manufacturer.
Hydrogen supply remains a condition for the programme. Wagner said the fuel needs to emerge as an infrastructure for the aircraft to succeed.
Sources
- flightglobal.comAirbus’s initial hydrogen airliner likely to have 80 seats: Wagner