Modernising their fleets with kerosene-efficient aircraft, on the one hand, and supplying SAF, i.e. sustainable aviation fuel, on the other: airlines are currently relying on these two pillars to accelerate their decarbonisation. But the sector has a third lever as part of its energy transition: the advent of a new generation of devicespowered by hydrogen or electricity. A lever with a more distant horizon - around 2035 - but on which a key player in the sustainable development of air transport is actively working: Airbus.
At its annual summit held at the end of November, the aircraft manufacturer unveiled the progress it had made, affecting not only airlines but also airports. At Toulouse-Blagnac, for example, a low-carbon hydrogen station - one of the world's first for an airport - has entered the test phase. It is due to go into service next year, and its output of around 400 kg per day will supply around fifty ground transport vehicles.
This initiative, in partnership with HyPort, a joint venture between ENGIE Solutions and the Agence régionale pour l'énergie et le climat d'Occitanie (Occitanie regional energy and climate agency), is not only helping to make airport ground operations greener, but also to setting up the infrastructure needed for future aircraft. " The use of hydrogen to decarbonise all ground transport associated with airports by 2020 to 2030 will pave the way for the availability of hydrogen for zero-emission aircraft by 2035." said Karine Guenan, Airbus vice-president of the ZEROe ecosystem, the name given to its hydrogen-powered aircraft project.
As part of the future airport infrastructure, Airbus is also working with ArianeGroup, a joint venture equally owned by the aircraft manufacturer and Safran, to develop the first refuelling station for ground and flight testing of the ZEROe aircraft. The station should be operational in 2025, still at Toulouse airport, and will benefit from ArianeGroup's long-standing expertise in the storage and handling of liquid hydrogen for rocket propulsion. " Preparing for the entry into service of a zero-emission aircraft in 2035 means that we need to mature all the technologies required in parallel.explained Sabine Klauke, Airbus Group Technical Director. By joining forces with ArianeGroup, we will benefit from its well-known expertise in hydrogen and other relevant space technologies in pursuit of this objective." .
Airbus draws on the expertise of Ariane and Renault
Because there is strength in numbers in the accelerated race towards the major technological breakthrough represented by the sustainable aircraft of the future. Among its other associations, Airbus has announced that it is working with the Renault group in research and development to bring to maturity the technologies needed for new-generation batteries. In other words, batteries with double the energy density, increased energy storage capacity and a low carbon footprint on the production side. But, above all, batteries that can be used for a long time. " Driven by the same ambition to innovate and reduce our carbon footprint, our engineering teams are exchanging ideas with those at Airbus to bring together cross-disciplinary technologies that will make it possible to operate hybrid aircraft and develop the vehicles of tomorrow." said Gilles Le Borgne, Executive Vice President Engineering of the Renault Group, as the carmaker brings its expertise in electric vehicles to the partnership.
To continue these examples of associations exploring the avenues necessary for the advent of on-board technologies in tomorrow's aircraft, Airbus announced at the end of November the launch of the SWITCH hybrid jet engine programme. Supported by the European Union and Clean Aviation, and conducted in partnership with MTU Aero Engines, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace and GKN, this programme is developing a plan for a hybrid engine with increased and sustainable energy efficiency, thanks in particular to the recovery of water vapour at the turbojet outlet and its reinjection into the water combustion chamber.
At the same time, Airbus is also working on next-generation propulsion. At its annual summit, the aircraft manufacturer unveiled the outline of its own hydrogen-powered engine. While the various technologies under consideration will initially be limited to short- and medium-haul aircraft, Airbus is betting on a fuel cell engine that could power a 100-passenger aircraft with a range of around 1,000 nautical miles.
" Fuel cells are a potential solution to help us achieve our zero emissions ambition and we are focusing on developing and testing this technology to understand whether it is feasible and viable." said Glenn Llewellyn, Director of Zero Emission Aircraft at Airbus. The first flight and ground tests of the A380 MSN1 demonstrator aircraft, expected in the middle of the decade, will enable Airbus to feed its reflections on the architecture of its future ZEROe aircraft, the development of which could be launched ". by 2027-2028" . With so much at stake for both the industry and passengers, time is of the essence.
