Airbus on Tuesday unveiled the latest iteration of its planned 100-seat hydrogen-powered airliner, reaffirming its commitment to the ZeroE program it now says could lead to the launch of commercial services towards the end of the 2030s. During its Airbus Summit presentations in Toulouse, the European aerospace group revealed a design with four wing-mounted open-rotor propulsion systems that Glenn Llewellyn, v-p of the ZeroE project, said was based on progress in achieving improved power density since it first showed a six-engine model in December 2020.
Six weeks after acknowledging that it will not meet its original goal of bringing a hydrogen airliner to market in 2035, Airbus said it is taking more time to maximize the potential of the technology. “We know we have made progress in our ability to make a fully hydrogen-electric aircraft, but the ecosystem isn’t ready and this gives us time to go further with the performance of an aircraft that can compete in the market,” said Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus’ head of future programs, adding that progress still needs to be made with the quantity, volume, and pricing of hydrogen fuel. “It’s not a step back, but rather an opportunity to go further.”