- Airbus and GE’s joint venture will partner to test hydrogen-powered aircraft.
- The partners plan to operate the aircraft by 2035.
European aerospace company Airbus is set to partner with a joint venture of General Electric and Safran Aircraft Engines to develop a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft engine. The expectation is the operation of the zero-emission aircraft by 2035. The companies will flight test a direct combustion engine using an A380 flying testbed with liquid hydrogen tanks as part of the project.
“Airbus will set the hydrogen propulsion system requirements and oversee flight testing while the joint venture, CFM International, will adapt a turbofan developed by GE Aviation for large business jets.” Airbus’s CTO Sabine Klauke believes that this presents the company’s boldest step to usher in a new era of hydrogen-powered flight since the unveiling of its ZEROe concepts back in September 2020.
The partners have pledged to develop, test, and achieve net-zero carbon emissions technology in the aviation industry by 2050.