A coalition is pushing the United Kingdom government to establish itself as a leader in hydrogen-powered aviation.
The coalition calls itself the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance, made up of companies like easyJet, Airbus, and Rolls-Royce among others. On March 18, the group released a report detailing the steps the U.K. needs to take to push forward on hydrogen-powered aircraft.
The HIA believes that a commercial hydrogen plane program could be possible by the end of this decade, and that the technology plays a key role in moving air travel to zero emissions.
The group’s report asks for funding for a supply of liquid hydrogen to support research and development and testing. It also calls for airports to put together “hydrogen-ready plans,” and to fund the transition to the fuel for airlines and airports by 2030.
Although it’s touted by some as a long-term solution for achieving a carbon-free future for aviation, there’s still a level of uncertainty as to how viable hydrogen might be. Environmentalists have expressed concerns that mass production of the fuel could lead to more methane emissions into the atmosphere. As the technology currently stands, it’s also not well-suited for medium-to-large-sized commercial planes.
Despite that, the HIA hopes to have necessary resources to push the technology forward well into the future.
“The breakthroughs in hydrogen-powered technology happening across the U.K. are truly astonishing, but these advances will be inconsequential if we fail to complement them with the appropriate skills, infrastructure, investment and regulation needed to support hydrogen aviation,” easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said.
