Airbus reveals concepts of zero-emission plane; may enter service by 2035

Airbus on Monday revealed concepts of new hydrogen-powered zero-emission commercial aircraft that could enter service by 2035.

"The three concepts - all codenamed ZEROe - for a first climate neutral zero-emission commercial aircraft include a turbofan design (with capacity of 120-200 passengers) with a range of 2,000+ nautical miles," said a press release by the aircraft manufacturer.

The turbofan design would be capable of operating trans-continentally and would be powered by a modified gas-turbine engine running on hydrogen, rather than jet fuel, through combustion, it stated.

At a press briefing, President and Managing Director for Airbus India and South Asia, Remi Maillard, told reporters that, "we believe that hydrogen will increasingly become more cost-competitive in the future, because other industries, and not just aviation, will move towards hydrogen power sources".

The second concept is a turboprop design that can carry up to 100 passengers and is powered by hydrogen combustion in modified gas-turbine engines, the release stated.

The turboprop design would be capable of travelling more than 1,000 nautical miles, making it a perfect option for short-haul trips, it mentioned.

Maillard said, "Obviously, many challenges remain, namely the availability of hydrogen, decarbonisation of the production of hydrogen, and the airworthiness certification of a hydrogen powered aircraft."

He said airports, for instance, will require significant hydrogen transport and refuelling infrastructure to meet the needs of day-to-day operations.

"We will need to convert our oil and gas network as well to make them suitable for hydrogen," Maillard said.

"So, it is the beginning of a journey and we are committed to this ambition," he said.

The third concept is a "blended-wing body" design, which can carry up to 200 passengers. In this design, the wings merge with the main body of the aircraft. It will be able to operate trans-continentally, the release stated.

These three concepts for the "world's first zero-emission commercial aircraft" could enter service by 2035, it stated.

"All of these concepts rely on hydrogen as a primary power source - an option which Airbus believes holds exceptional promise as a clean aviation fuel and is likely to be a solution for aerospace and many other industries to meet their climate-neutral targets," said the release.