Regulatory approval remains another major hurdle. Hydrogen-powered aircraft require entirely new certification standards, similar to the process eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles) are currently undergoing.
Airbus is working closely with industry regulators to establish the necessary guidelines, ensuring the safe integration of hydrogen-powered planes into commercial service.
The company remains confident that by the late 2030s, these regulatory and infrastructure challenges will be sufficiently addressed.
Industry collaboration to push hydrogen dream
Airbus has laid out a clear roadmap for advancing hydrogen aviation technology.
The company successfully tested a 1.2-megawatt hydrogen propulsion system and later completed end-to-end testing of a fully integrated fuel cell stack, electric motors, gearboxes, and inverters.