Airbus Readies for its Inaugural Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Engine Test Flight of Mega Watt Class
Airbus is developing a groundbreaking zero-emission regional airliner, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The aircraft, designed to accommodate up to 100 passengers, features a high-wing design with six eight-bladed propellers attached to engine pods.
Design and Performance
The aircraft is optimized for medium-range regional flights, with a high-wing configuration that supports the mounting of six nacelle-like engine pods, each equipped with eight-bladed propellers. The hydrogen fuel cells in the pods generate electrical power for propulsion, aiming to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional turboprops or jets.
The concept targets operations from runways as short as 5000 feet, with a mission range exceeding 1000 miles. This design sets it apart from current comparable aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Bombardier Q400, with comparative analyses showing substantial gains in reducing GHG emissions and operating costs.
Powertrain and Progress
The aircraft uses hydrogen fuel cells embedded in the engine pods instead of conventional turbine engines. The fuel cells generate electrical energy to drive multiple electric propellers, creating a hybrid-electric or fully electric propulsion system. Power outputs under consideration range widely, with cruise power potentially exceeding 10-15 MW to sustain regional flight profiles.
While Airbus has publicly demonstrated production milestones for its current A320neo series in 2025, specific commercial development updates about this hydrogen regional airliner remain limited. Public disclosures focus mainly on the conceptual stage and patent filings describing the design and potential hybrid-electric architecture.
Testing and Future Plans
Airbus is conducting feasibility studies and laboratory tests to realize a fully working megawatt-class fuel-cell engine and demonstrator. The A380 MSN001 has been chosen as the host for the hydrogen fuel-cell engine demonstrator due to its internal space, stability, and existing flight test instrumentation.
From 2024, additional integrated test benches such as a fuel cell system integration bench, a functional integration bench, and a Propeller Integration Bench will be added. In 2024, an "iron pod" test rig will be built, which will bring together key ingredients such as 800kW of fuel cell power, two electric motors, the motor control units, the gearbox, and the new high-voltage electrical distribution and conversion system.
The demonstrator will use Airbus' multi-modal flight test platform, the iconic A380 MSN001, which will be modified externally to carry the fuel-cell engine pod. The demonstrator will be tested in flight by the middle of this decade - around 2026.
Other companies like ZeroAvia are also advancing hydrogen-electric powertrains for regional aircraft, developing multi-megawatt fuel cell engines aimed at regional and single-aisle aircraft by the early-to-mid 2030s. This parallels the kind of technology Airbus is developing for the zero-emission regional airliner concept.
In sum, Airbus’s conceptual high-wing, 100-seat hydrogen aircraft with six eight-bladed propeller pods powered by hydrogen fuel cells represents a promising zero-emission regional airliner design currently in the advanced conceptual and patent phase. Development focuses on optimizing energy use, emissions, and operating costs, with real-world demonstration and certification yet to come. Parallel industry efforts, like those from ZeroAvia, highlight significant advancements in large hydrogen fuel cell propulsion that will likely inform and accelerate Airbus’s progress.
- To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and operating costs, the environmental-science industry is leveraging data-and-cloud-computing technology and renewable-energy sources like hydrogen fuel cells in developing zero-emission aircraft, such as Airbus's new 100-seat regional airliner.
- In the finance sector, substantial investments in the development of hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, like those from Airbus and ZeroAvia, are expected as these technologies move towards commercial production and impact the energy industry.
- As Airbus advances in the production of zero-emission aircraft, they are collaborating with tech companies to optimize energy use and emissions, including testing megawatt-class fuel-cell engines and fuel cell integration systems.
- In the future, the integration of hydrogen-electric powertrains into regional and single-aisle aircraft will be crucial in the fight against climate-change, as companies like Airbus and ZeroAvia continue making strides in this burgeoning field of science and technology.
