Airbus plans to use a superjumbo A380 to test hydrogen-powered jet engines as the European aerospace group prepares to bring a zero emissions aircraft into service by 2035.
The Toulouse-based group said it would work with CFM International, a joint venture between France’s Safran and General Electric of the US, to develop an engine that can run on hydrogen. Executives said the converted test aircraft would fly by the end of 2026.
The venture comes amid increasing pressure on the aviation industry to cut pollution and meet zero-emission targets by 2050. Before the pandemic led to the grounding of much of the world’s aircraft, aviation accounted for roughly 2.4 per cent of global emissions.