The joint project between Lufthansa Technik, the German Aerospace Agency (DLR), the ZAL Centre for Applied Aeronautical Research, and Hamburg Airport, will see the installation of new hydrogen components for the A320 over the coming months.

It is hoped the novel lab will provide a proving ground to develop hydrogen airport infrastructure as the aviation industry explores the potential of the clean energy carrier for decarbonising air travel.

The main research topics of the Hydrogen Aviation Lab are refuelling with liquid hydrogen; cooling, insulation, and occupational safety; leakage of hydrogen gas; and making stored hydrogen inert.

H2 View understands, in addition to the physical research, the project will see a ‘digital twin’ of the aircraft developed, where simulations will allow researchers to develop and test predictive maintenance methods for the hydrogen systems and components.

In March this year (2022), a report by FlyZero concluded that liquid hydrogen could power a midsized aircraft with 280 passengers from London to San Francisco directly, or from London to Auckland with just one stop.

Read more: FlyZero reveals liquid hydrogen could fuel medium-sized aircraft from London to San Francisco directly

The project has received funding from Hamburg’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Innovation, as well as the city’s investment and development bank, IFB Hamburg.

Michael Westhagemann, Hamburg Senator for Economics, commented, “With the Hydrogen Aviation Lab, Hamburg has embarked on a great project. It will make a valuable contribution to enabling the use of hydrogen as a fuel for aviation.

“The focus on maintenance and refuelling procedures should provide us with insights that will be important for developing hydrogen infrastructure. This real-world lab lets us add a crucial building block to Hamburg’s strategy to make aviation more sustainable.

“We are following two strategic goals: the development of a hydrogen economy in Hamburg and the decarbonisation of the mobility industries. We are very pleased to be able to make this world-first project possible through the Special Aviation Fund.”

The soaring twenties: The decade hydrogen aviation will take-off

Excitement has been building for some time across industries, governments and media about the potential for hydrogen to decarbonise where other technologies cannot. Hard-to-abate sectors, like aviation, are seen as particular sweet spots. But the accepted wisdom seems to have set the middle of next decade as the target date. That’s a long wait.

This is particularly frustrating because we can’t afford to wait 12 or 13 years to start making meaningful in-roads into aviation’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly given the industry’s demand growth. It’s also a drastic underestimation as to how soon hydrogen will become a significant fuel in use for moving passengers and cargo in the skies.

There are some clear reasons why people should reconsider their horizons on hydrogen aviation, particularly hydrogen-electric (which uses fuel cells to power electric motors, as opposed to traditional combustion). As someone in the field of aviation for many years and as a precursor to the H2 View features that you’re about to see over the coming pages of this Aviation & Aerospace Issue, I’d like to set the scene here with my own take on those clear reasons…

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