HSW Aerospace Members bring H2 to the greatest show in the air

The Farnborough International Airshow is the second largest commercial airshow in the world and welcomed nearly 75,000 attendees this year. It serves as a place to connect businesses, showcase latest technology and celebrate the value aviation, aerospace and defence bring to the UK and the world.

Hydrogen’s energy density and versatility make it a game changer for decarbonising commercial aviation. That’s why this summer, hydrogen was a key feature in the Farnborough Airshow week’s headlines, with several Hydrogen South West members sharing successes in both technology and ecosystem partnerships.

Airbus, Bristol Airport, easyJet, GKN Aerospace and ZeroAvia, also members of the Hydrogen in Aviation Alliance (HIA), came together to host an afternoon reception highlighting the alliance’s advocacy work to secure hydrogen for aviation in the UK. Words from key leaders within the group shared what to expect from members and outlined core tenets of HIA’s March Milestone Delivery Report, calling for policymakers to recognise and act on the pivotal role hydrogen will play in decarbonising one of the hardest-to-abate sectors.

Airbus used Farnborough week as an opportunity to announce three partnerships that advance hydrogen aviation development:

1)    Leading up to the show, London Gatwick Airport was the latest airport to join its global hydrogen hub network alongside fellow HSW member easyJet and hydrogen supplier Air Products. The partnership will expand hydrogen to expand hydrogen capability and infrastructure in the UK as the manufacturer moves closer to its target of getting a hydrogen powered aircraft in the sky by 2035.

2)    On day one, the manufacturer announced a partnership with Airports Council International (ACI) World, the trade association of the world’s airports, to address key decarbonisation levers such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), hydrogen technologies, advanced air mobility, operations efficiency, and aircraft noise management practices.

3)    Finally, Airbus announced on Wednesday during the show that it is partnering with aircraft lessor Avolon to develop knowledge of how hydrogen aircraft will be leased and financed. This is the first Airbus partnership of this nature with a lessor, addressing yet another facet of hydrogen commercial aviation.

 As part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the National Composites Centre (NCC) joined the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) at their technology showcase, taking visitors on a journey into the future of sustainable aviation. Along with other HVM Catapult centres and partners, the NCC showcased how its expertise in composite cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks is enabling net zero aviation. Trialled as part of the ATI FlyZero programme, the tank is one of the first in the UK to be designed, manufactured and tested with liquid hydrogen. The NCC’s Capability Programme has since successfully completed burst testing of a 4L, 700 bar hydrogen composite pressure vessel. The vessel was tested at NCC, failing at a pressure above 1750 bar, within 5% of predictions. The team is currently testing a similar vessel in fatigue.

Find out more about the NCC’s work here.