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Airbus ZEROe concept aircraft good fit for Asia-Pacific
September 25th 2020
Airbus has launched a hydrogen-powered ZEROe concept aircraft, which Airbus president Asia-Pacific, Anand Stanley, said this week would be an aircraft well suited to the region. Read More »
The Toulouse-headquartered aerospace group has unveiled plans to design, build and enter into service a climate-neutral aircraft, powered by hydrogen, within the next 15 years.
Three aircraft were put forward under Airbus's ZEROe concept.
The first is a turbofan powered aircraft capable of flying up to 2,000nm carrying 120-200 passengers. The second is a turboprop with a 1,000nm range and a cabin configuration for up to 100 passengers.
The third design is a blended-wing body aircraft for up to 200 passengers. Airbus said the wide fuselage opened up multiple options for hydrogen storage, distribution and cabin layouts. Entry into service was targeted for 2035.
“These concepts will help us explore and mature the design and layout of the world’s first climate-neutral, zero-emission commercial aircraft," Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury, said.
“The transition to hydrogen, as the primary power source for these concept planes, will require decisive action from the entire aviation ecosystem. Together with support from government and industrial partners we can rise to this challenge to scale up renewable energy and hydrogen for the sustainable future of the aviation industry.”
Stanley, who has been Airbus's leader in the Asia-Pacific since July, said: "When you look at the density of our population, I believe all three aircraft models are apt in their own way," he told reporters from Singapore this week.
The turbofan's 2,000nm range could connect the "myriad of countries that we have within the region", while the 1,000nm range turboprop was a "green option” for short-haul trips.
"Both of them are what I would call classic configurations and hence we can easily extrapolate their immediate implementation in the existing geographic markets that we have," he said.
But he was more cautious about the blended-wing model. "Because it is a concept that has not been fully flushed out, and because of its ambitious nature, I would not be able to comment much upon it and the promise it holds," he said.
Airbus's previous zero emissions projects were centred around the Vahana self-piloted all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) demonstrator. The program completed its 138th and final test flight in December 2019. An E-Fan X hybrid electric aircraft demonstrator program was cancelled in April due to the current pandemic.
"We have an ambition to be the first manufacturer to bring an aircraft which is a zero emission aircraft into service," Stanley said. "We at Airbus believe we have the right credentials to make this a reality."
