Airbus has announced plans to accelerate the development of hydrogen-powered aircraft, refining its ZEROe project as part of its strategy to introduce a commercially viable hydrogen jet in the coming decades. The aerospace giant outlined this vision in a statement released on Wednesday.

At the 2025 Airbus Summit, Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus’ Head of Future Programmes, emphasized the company’s commitment to decarbonising aviation through cutting-edge hydrogen technology.

“Hydrogen is at the heart of our commitment to decarbonise aviation. While we’ve adjusted our roadmap, our dedication to hydrogen-powered flight is unwavering,” Fichefeux said.

“Just as we saw in the automotive sector, fully electric aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells have the potential to revolutionise air transport for the better, complementing the sustainable aviation fuel pathway.”

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Fuel-Cell Propulsion at the Core of Innovation

Airbus is prioritizing fuel-cell propulsion as the most promising pathway to achieving zero-emission flights. The company revealed a new concept for a hydrogen-powered aircraft equipped with:

• Four 2-megawatt electric propulsion engines
• Fuel cell systems that convert hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy
• Two liquid hydrogen tanks supplying the fuel cells

This concept will be refined over the coming years as further testing advances the storage, distribution, and propulsion technologies required for hydrogen-powered flight.

Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus’ Head of the ZEROe Project, highlighted the extensive research and testing that led to this design.

“Over the last five years, we have explored multiple hydrogen-propulsion concepts before down-selecting this fully electric concept. We are confident it could provide the necessary power density for a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft and could evolve as we mature the technology,” Llewellyn said.

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Pioneering Hydrogen Propulsion Milestones

Airbus has already achieved several milestones in its hydrogen research:

• 2023: Successful demonstration of a 1.2 MW hydrogen propulsion system.
• 2024: Completed end-to-end testing of integrated fuel cell stacks, electric motors, gearboxes, inverters, and heat exchangers.

To address the challenges of liquid hydrogen storage and distribution during flight, Airbus partnered with Air Liquide Advanced Technologies to develop the Liquid Hydrogen Breadboard in Grenoble, France.

The company plans to conduct integrated ground testing by 2027 at the Electric Aircraft System Test House in Munich, which will combine the propulsive system with hydrogen distribution for comprehensive validation.

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Building the Hydrogen Aviation Ecosystem

Beyond technology development, Airbus is working to foster a hydrogen aviation economy and advocate for a regulatory framework to support the safe deployment of hydrogen-powered aircraft.

The company remains committed to collaborating with industry stakeholders and policymakers to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen in aviation.

“In the coming years, we will concentrate on advancing the storage, distribution, and propulsion systems while also advocating for the regulatory framework needed to ensure these aircraft can take flight,” Llewellyn added.

With hydrogen-powered aircraft on the horizon, Airbus is positioning itself at the forefront of a new era in sustainable aviation, aiming to redefine how the world flies while addressing the climate crisis.