By
36 min ago 2 min read
The Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance (HIA), a lobby group of aviation majors, has coordinated £188m ($252m) in investment into UK hydrogen aviation research and development.
The cash injection adds to a announced in January and advocated by the HIA, which pledged £43m ($58m) to businesses and researchers demonstrating promise in the sector’s decarbonisation.
Featuring Airbus, EastJet, Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, and more, the group aims to position Britain as a leader in hydrogen-powered flight.
Newly appointed Chair at HIA and Vice President of Fuel and Inerting Systems at Airbus, Andy Reynolds, said the investment would help advance beyond the early “hype” of hydrogen toward real progress in propulsion technologies, airframe systems, and infrastructure.
“No matter which decarbonisation roadmap you look at, hydrogen remains a vital part of reducing the climate impact,” he added.
Professor Phil Longhurst of the UK’s Cranfield University recently said that hydrogen-power aviation behind the scenes despite a visible slowdown in public momentum.
“I think SAF is going to be the immediate short-term change in the next five to 15 years, whereas hydrogen is likely to be in the 25 to 40 [year range],” he claimed.
Last month, HIA members EasyJet and Rolls-Royce tested a 100% hydrogen-fuelled jet through a fully simulated flight cycle.
Airlines, governments, and aviation bodies remain primarily focused on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with fuel suppliers obligated to supplement total jet fuel demand with at least 2% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) since last year.
That share will grow to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040.
