By working with the Netherlands-based team, Airbus is hoping to ensure key knowledge sharing between industry and students, with collaboration on key aspects of subsystems, set to commence in the coming months.

The team’s mission is to prove and promote liquid hydrogen as a viable alternative to conventional aviation fuels, seeing the establishment of ‘Project Phoenix’, leading to the team designing and manufacturing two aircrafts.

AeroDelft says, the unnamed Phoenix prototype drone will be the largest unmanned aircraft to fly electrically using liquid hydrogen, which is set to fly in 2023, following on from its gaseous hydrogen variant taking to the skies earlier this year (2022).

Read more: Student success in development of liquid hydrogen-powered flight

Furthermore, the team plan to fly manned version of the aircraft with both gaseous and liquid hydrogen in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

The partnership deepens Airbus’ commitment to progressing the Net Zero aviation sector. In May (2022), the company announced it was launching its UK Zero Emission Development Centre (ZEDC) in Bristol, for hydrogen technologies.

Read more: Airbus increases hydrogen commitment with new UK development centre

Commenting on the new partnership, Rob Postma, CEO of Airbus Netherlands, said, “We are determined to make climate neutral aviation a reality and believe hydrogen is a very promising way to do so.

“We are thrilled to see that AeroDelft and a whole new generation of aerospace students share the same ambition. What AeroDelft has achieved so far is quite impressive and we need to join forces with everyone out there willing to put their brain and energy into the biggest challenge our aviation industry is facing – but also the most exciting one: zero-emission flight.”

H2 View’s Hydrogen Mobility Snap Summit – November 29

With the mobility pillar consistently a hot topic for hydrogen markets and arguably the most anticipated and relatable application of the energy transition, H2 View stages a Mobility Snap Summit this November to summarise the progress made in 2022 and look ahead to what’s still to come.

Infrastructure challenges remain. Questions linger over policy and implementation. Many wonder which strand of the transport sector will blaze the trail in hydrogen power first, and likewise which region. There are clear challenges ahead, yet considerable progress made in 2022 and bright spots ahead in 2023 and beyond.

Join H2 View this November for a half-day online event dedicated to unearthing the progress made, dissecting the challenges to be met and establishing the state-of-play across mobility as 2023 approaches. Find more information here.

Premium Subscribers to H2 View have access to this event as part of their subscription package; non-subscribers can secure access to the event with a delegate ticket ($99). All delegates can access the event on-demand from 1st December.