Delft students’ hydrogen plane receives support from Airbus

Airbus to investigate Delft team AeroDelft Support. According to the team, collaboration is underway on “key aspects of the various subsystems,” but more details on Cooperation were not disclosed.

Last summer, Delft students made a concept plane three times smaller than an ordinary plane. According to the team, the aircraft can fly for 7 hours and travel more than 500 kilometers on one kilogram of liquid hydrogen. Hydrogen generates the electricity that powers engines.

AeroDelft also wants to develop a full-size hydrogen aircraft in the near future, in which people should also be able to sit. The first flight of this plane could take place in 2024 or 2025.

“Flying in a climate-neutral way”

“We are committed to achieving climate-neutral flight and believe hydrogen has a good chance of achieving this,” said Rob Postma, CEO of Airbus Netherlands. “It’s great that AeroDelft and a whole new generation of aviation students share this ambition with us.”

Airbus itself is also testing hydrogen-powered aircraft, such as with a modified version of the large A380.

hydrogen plane

Hydrogen planes can initially be interesting for short distances, which is currently still targeted electric steering wheel with battery technology, such as in Scandinavia, the United States and New Zealand.

Earlier this year, a Dutch partnership also announced plans to integrate a hydrogen system into existing aircraft. This should result in an aircraft with up to 80 seats, which could fly on liquid green hydrogen between the Netherlands and London from 2028.