Airbus pushes back plan to have hydrogen plane by 2035

Airbus, the French aircraft manufacturer, delayed the plan to fly the hydrogen plane, originally scheduled for 2035, as reported by the Financial Times. This plane is part of the technology pathways Airbus presented to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

According to the reports, the delay can range from five to ten years, however, Airbus did not comment on this topic. 

French labor unions commented that the manufacturer is cutting the dedicated budget for the hydrogen ambitions by 25 percent and could shut down the plan to test the hydrogen fuel cell engines on a modified A380 superjumbo, as reported by the Financial Times. 

Despite the delay in the date to market, the manufacturer is still working on the development of a commercially viable hydrogen-powered aircraft in the following years. In the information shared with the Financial Times, Airbus commented that creating a hydrogen ecosystem, including production, distribution, and regulatory frameworks, is one of the biggest challenges.

To handle these challenges, Airbus started working on airport hydrogen hubs that would allow the deployment of this technology in the global market. This ecosystem is planned to comprise 215 airports, 18 hubs at airports, and 10 partnering customers.