The aviation industry is at a pivotal juncture in its pursuit of net-zero emissions. Today, it’s grappling with the availability and cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as it attempts to show measurable progress toward 2050 Net-zero goals. In addition, pushback on the true environmental reach of some solutions has sent waves through the industry. Hydrogen aviation can make a greater contribution to targets than is typically depicted in many roadmaps, but there are challenges here also.

This last 12 months in hydrogen aviation has shown tremendous leaps forward with breakthrough flight testing of liquid hydrogen systems and advances in certification programs, but some innovators have also struggled with financing amid challenging market conditions.

This panel discussion will examine operators’ views on whether hydrogen in aviation can scale more quickly to pick up the slack in net- zero targets. Additionally, the panel will delve into the strategic shifts taking place with airline sustainability strategies, discuss what operators need to see more of from hydrogen innovators, and evaluate the potential barriers and advantages for first-movers.

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With governments exploring and – in many cases funding – hydrogen infrastructure and production projects, hydrogen as a clean alternative fossil fuel is increasingly becoming a focal point for the aviation industry. Airports are looking at hydrogen for a myriad of reasons: as a source of backup electric power, cleaning up ground support equipment, and, of course, for tackling the “Scope 3” aircraft emissions. There is now real momentum across the world in the idea of an airport as a hydrogen “hub”.

In an industry with coffee cup-priced margins, cost will be a primary driver of adoption. Fortunately, the cost trajectory for hydrogen fuel is showing promise, with a rapid increase in electrolyser supply underway and a projected decrease in hydrogen production costs by 2030 (50% according to a PwC study). Getting to this level, however, will require achieving economies of scale. Airports must make complex assessments about exactly when they will begin building hydrogen fuel into the airport ecosystem, and exactly what form that will take.

Regulatory bodies also have a critical role to play, specifically with developing common practices and standards for hydrogen use in aviation across geographies. Transparently developed frameworks – in consultation with industry — are essential to the safe and efficient deployment of hydrogen at airports.

In this panel session, we’ll hear from airport, aviation fuel and energy leaders about what recent hydrogen and aviation industry trends mean for the hydrogen airport of tomorrow.

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Advances in fuel cell technology, including improved power density and efficiency, are expected to accelerate the development and deployment of zero-emission novel rotorcraft designs. With many eVTOL players advancing quickly through certification, attention is turning to how hydrogen-electric systems can provide greater range and longevity of systems over initial battery dependent designs.

More traditional-looking helicopter designs are also seeking to incorporate hydrogen fuel cell propulsion to slash emissions and increase efficiency as quickly advancing technology opens up this use case.

What role will fuel cell propulsion play in supporting rotorcraft growth? How will fuel cell advances change the dynamics in this space? What will be the impact for growth in traditional helicopter segments? Where do eVTOL and helicopter designs converge?

Whether it is an air taxi buzzing passengers from the airport to downtown, or an increase in medical helicopters improving response times – the panel will explore how clean, quiet and efficient rotorcraft can revolutionize the future of urban mobility.

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Earlier this year, the US Congress passed a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration with several provisions intended to support development and deployment of hydrogen aviation. While many were pleasantly surprised by the bipartisan passage of the legislation, the hard work of implementation still lies ahead.

From designing then implementing a research strategy to accelerate the introduction of hydrogen-propelled aircraft into US aviation to adding eligibility for airport hydrogen fueling infrastructure to the Airport Improvement Program and –perhaps the most challenging of all– developing regulations and conditions relating to the certification of hydrogen-propulsion aircraft components, the FAA has its work cut out for it.

While the FAA is in the hot seat for these changes, the agency does not need to go it alone. Standards bodies around the world, for example, already have protocols in other sectors for managing hydrogen, many of which can be applied to aviation directly or with some adaptation to aviation’s unique context. And other US agencies, like NASA and the Department of Energy, have decades of experience with hydrogen both as a combustion fuel and as an energy carrier for use in fuel cells.

In this session, we’ll learn from experts about the path ahead for implementation of the key hydrogen aviation elements in the FAA bill. What aspects might be easier to achieve? Where are the greatest challenges for FAA? How can interagency cooperation facilitate deployment of hydrogen aviation? How can industry support the FAA as it pursues implementation?

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The transition to net-zero emissions in aviation is at a critical juncture. A few years out from significant policy developments such as the UK Jet Zero Strategy, the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the EU’s Fit for 55 legislative package, and following the passage of the hydrogen-laden FAA reauthorization, the question jumps out – “What’s next?”

Hydrogen plays a pivotal role in decarbonizing aviation, through both its use in eSAF and direct propulsion systems. For policymakers to align energy and transport strategies to foster the adoption of these emerging technologies, the industry needs to create synergies between hydrogen production and its application in aviation to ensure that infrastructure and regulatory frameworks are conducive to rapid deployment.

How can governments share cross-departmental knowledge on technology roadmaps and wider clean energy initiatives to prompt pre-emptive policy development to bring cleaner flight to market sooner? What market failures do policymakers see where government can play a role to overcome?

This panel will hear from expert policymakers across energy and transport departments on both sides of the Atlantic to compare thinking and approaches.

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In the past year, technological advances in hydrogen fuel cell propulsion systems have demonstrated greater specific power and superior fuel density, encouraging potential hydrogen-powered commercial applications. In the lab and in the air, we are seeing the advances that can mature hydrogen-electric powertrains for larger and more energy-hungry applications.

But, are these developments advancing far enough and fast enough to achieve lift-off of hydrogen powered commercial flight this decade? Will underlying material improvements increase durability and enhance performance? Can novel stack configurations lead to needed gains in thermal management, specific power, and efficiency?

We’ll hear from experts working on the cutting edge of these technologies to learn more about what we can expect from the fuel cell development pipeline.

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Hydrogen aviation is symbiotically tied to developments in electric propulsion. As electric propulsion advances, battery, fuel-cell, and hybrid pathways are all further enabled in a potential range of aircraft from 4-passenger air taxis to the narrowbody workhorse of commercial air transport.

High-efficiency electric motors with ever high power-to-weight ratios are essential for powering electric aircraft. Advances in both design and materials are enabling these more efficient, reliable and powerful motors.

In addition, improvements in power electronics are reducing energy losses and improving overall system efficiency. More efficient power electronics are needed to manage the flow of electricity between the battery or fuel cell, motor, and other components of the aircraft.

Design advances in distributed electric propulsion systems (arranging multiple electric motors and propellers around the aircraft) are also allowing more flexible and efficient aircraft designs, greater efficiency, and improved maneuverability.

In this session, the panel will examine new developments in electric propulsion and power electronics, explore the airframe applications they could enable and investigate how this will impact timelines for hydrogen-electric powertrain development.

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The ZeroAvia whitepaper on Scaling For Large Aircraft indicates an expected 12 megawatts of propulsion power, motor power density of 15 kW/kg, inverter specific power of 40 kW/kg, and fuel cell density in excess of 4 kW/kg by 2030, more than enough capability to fly a narrowbody aircraft.

Ideas just being hatched in labs and yet to be brought to fruition could make the marginal –but still impressive– improvements of this decade look quaint in 2050. What promising pathways currently in infancy might lead to step changes in component capability that unlock the largest aircraft?

As the work to achieve those targets continues throughout this decade and into the next, what do the 2040s have in store? Will electric motors reach the propulsion power and power density needed for widebody aircraft? Will inverters? Fuel cells? If so, when and what are the bleeding edge breakthroughs at the bottom of the TRL ladder that we should be watching closely?

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While long-range aircraft present a compelling application for hydrogen-powered propulsion, the amount of hydrogen required to fuel those aircraft necessitates using liquid hydrogen stored at cryogenic temperatures. But, the use of liquid hydrogen brings with it a different set of challenges, namely maintaining cryogenic temperatures from airport storage through refuelling, managing equipment embrittlement, and mitigating hydrogen’s tendency toward boil-off.

As explorations into hydrogen aviation applications continue, advances in tank design, materials, and aircraft architecture are opening avenues to more effective onboard hydrogen usage. By scrapping assumptions, first principles approaches are helping solve hydrogen storage challenges and increasing hydrogen’s advantage over aviation fossil fuel combustion.

Are the latest developments changing the game? In this session, we’ll look at promising new approaches to liquid hydrogen management, including thermal insulation technologies, boil-off mitigation, and airframe integration.

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