The group intends to put hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system in 40-80 passenger turboprops.
On Monday, Dutch media news outlet AD reported how a consortium of 17 Dutch companies and organizations have committed to making commercial hydrogen-powered flying between the Netherlands and London a reality. They believe then can have a medium-sized passenger aircraft traversing the 750-kilometer distance by 2028. What's more, the Dutch government is contributing €100 million to the project.
Despite the technology of tomorrow, there won't be any new and futuristic looking aircraft shapes zooming across the Channel. The project involves hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, which will be retrofitted onto existing airframes. The conversion will focus on medium-sized propeller planes seating between 40 and 80 passengers.
Meanwhile, the gas will be stored in fuel tank cylinders in the aircraft's tail. Entrepreneur Michel van Ierland has helped bring the collaboration about over the past couple of years, and had the following to say,
"We take out the engine and build a new system in it, after which it flies on hydrogen. There are currently about 1,500 aircraft flying around the world that are suitable for our package. We have already received the first request for a quote."
The Hydrogen Aircraft Powertrain and Storage System (HAPSS) is an entirely Dutch public-private partnership. It has been set up by Unified International and InnovationQuarter with 17 companies, including Fokker, TU Delft, the Dutch government and the Royal Dutch Aerospace Center.
It is the largest recipient of funds from an overall €383 million allocated ot what is called the Aviation in Transition program. The Director of regional development agency InnovationQuarter, Rinke Zonneveld, stated,
"We are going to accelerate the greening of aviation. With flying on hydrogen, the Dutch aviation industry will once again lead the way."
Of course, the consortium is not the first to commit to H2-powered passenger flights specifically between the UK and the Netherlands. Fuel cell developer ZeroAvia has previously stated its intention to operate a commercial flight powered by hydrogen between the two countries as soon as 2024. If regulators will have approved the system by then is another matter.
Instead of designing an airframe from scratch to accommodate the new propulsion architecture, ZeroAvia is also offering a retrofit system – and has garnered many clients already. Alaska Airlines has signed up, as has United Airlines and De Havilland Canada.
But there are a lot of regional planes operating in the world, and the Dutch enterprise is betting that the market will be sufficient for more hydrogen fuel-cell providers. Furthermore, it is hoping to create 1,800 jobs by the time the first flight will take off in a little over five years from now. Van Ierland further added,
“We are providing structural employment in the green economy with this program. In addition, we are opening up a €16 billion world market for the Netherlands. This is very interesting for Scandinavia and New Zealand, for example, where for shorter distances people are still focusing on battery-electric technology.”
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Who do you think has a more realistic timeline, ZeroAvia or the Dutch consortium? When will we see hydrogen-powered passenger planes between the UK and the Netherlands? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.
Source: AD
Lead Sustainability Journalist – With a Masters in International Relations, Linnea has combined her love for current affairs with her passion for travel to become a key member of the Simple Flying team. With eight years’ experience in publishing and citations in publications such as CNN, Linnea brings a deep understanding of politics and future aviation tech to her stories. Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.