Airbus’ hydrogen plane delayed by up to a decade, trade unions say

This comes in response to Airbus citing challenges over developing hydrogen ecosystem.

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE has announced it is pushing back plans to develop a hydrogen-powered commercial plane by 2035.

The news was first reported by French news agency AFP.

First introduced in 2020 and dubbed ‘ZEROe’, Airbus’ hydrogen aircraft project has four concepts, with three of its hydrogen-hybrid planes equipped with a turboprop or turbofan engine and capacity for 100 to 200 passengers.

Airbus’ statement was issued in response to French labour unions claiming that hydrogen aircraft market entry had been delayed by five to 10 years.

It said that developing a hydrogen ecosystem is a “huge challenge” requiring “global collaboration and investment.”

The firm continued: “Recent developments indicate that progress on key enablers, particularly the availability of hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources at scale, is slower than anticipated.”

Airbus has not offered a new timeline for the project or given any further comment in response to the labour union.

This announcement also throws into the air the progress of its Hydrogen Hubs at Airports programme, whcih commenced in September 2024 and was due to support the aircrafts entry to market in 2035.

In 2020, Aerostack, a, joint venture between Airbus and German auto supplier ElringKlinger,  was formed to develop hydrogen fuel cell stacks intended to be “at the heart” of the electric propulsion system on a ZEROe aircraft.

Airbus previously said that official ZEROe project launch was expected to occur in 2027 or 2028.

While rival Boeing does not have any plans for developing a hydrogen aircraft, smaller aviation firms, such as Australian start-up Stralis, are also tackling the issue of decarbonised air travel.