A group of leading UK- and Europe-based aerospace, aviation, and renewable energy sector companies on Tuesday announced that they had formed a UK-based alliance to promote the use of hydrogen in aviation, namely the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance. The member groups are airframer Airbus, engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, tier 1 UK-based aerostructures and systems group GKN Aerospace, Denmark-based green energy group Ørsted, UK-based low-cost airline easyJet and Bristol Airport.

“There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a £34-billion per annum boost to the country’s economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now,” affirmed HIA chair and easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren. “We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard-to-abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximise the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved. HIA looks forward to working with the UK government to ensure the right funding, regulatory and policy changes are implemented to accelerate the delivery of zero carbon aviation.”

While there are a range of options for the decarbonisation of aviation, including sustainable aviation fuels and batteries, the HIA believes that greater attention should be given to the potential provided by the direct use of hydrogen. The alliance members will use their significant expertise to suggest a pathway to hydrogen-powered aviation that is clear and deliverable. The HIA will work with the UK government and local authorities, as well as with the aviation sector and hydrogen industry, in a constructive manner, to enable the country to fulfil its potential world-leading role in the application of hydrogen technology.

Rolls-Royce has already proven that hydrogen can be used as a fuel for jet engines, following successful ground tests last year, which were the first ever tests to use only hydrogen to fuel a jet engine. Airbus is developing new hydrogen-powered aircraft designs, aimed at entering commercial service from 2035. Smaller companies such as ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen are making rapid advances in the development of smaller hydrogen-powered airliners, with both these enterprises having carried out successful flight tests.

“Collaboration is key when it comes to achieving our net zero ambitions as an industry, which is why we are proud to be part of the [HIA] alliance,” highlighted Rolls-Royce chief technology officer (CTO) Grazia Vittadini. “Our contribution to HIA is the capability and experience we have in pioneering new technologies and solutions – we have already tested a modern aero engine on green hydrogen and we strongly believe it is one of the solutions that will decarbonise aviation in the mid to long-term.”

“As Airbus continues to mature the aircraft technologies needed to deliver hydrogen-powered flight, a united industry voice is needed to secure a robust ecosystem of renewably sourced hydrogen,” stressed Airbus CTO Sabine Klauke. “Joining our peers from across the UK aviation landscape in a targeted approach to policy and investment action brings us closer to a decarbonised future of flying.”

“Ørsted is fully committed to renewable hydrogen as a key solution to defossilise hard-to-electrify sectors such as aviation,” stated Ørsted senior VP and Power-to-X head Olivia Breese. “Our long experience in developing and deploying new technologies has taught us that collaboration across policy makers, developers, customers and supply chain – and considerable investment from each of them – is critical to bring down costs and drive a new sector to scale. Alliances such as the HIA are essential to bring together different actors across the value chain to support and accelerate the role hydrogen can, and must, play in the UK.”