Airbus has confirmed the feasibility of its 100-seat ZEROe hydrogen fuel cell aircraft concept, reaching technology readiness level (TRL) 3 following extensive reviews at the end of 2025. Glenn Llewellyn, vice-president of zero-emission aircraft at Airbus, stated that the project team verified the design through component-, system- and aircraft-level assessments.
The updated design, presented at the Airbus Summit in March 2025, features four 2.4MW electric motors powered by hydrogen fuel cells, enabling flights of up to 1,000nm with 100 passengers. The aircraft includes liquid hydrogen tanks and an electric propeller propulsion system, producing water as the primary byproduct.
Testing milestones include powering the ‘iron pod’ hydrogen propulsion system at 1.2 megawatts in late 2023 at Airbus’ E-Aircraft System House in Munich, equivalent to the energy for 12 electric cars. Fuel cell testing occurred at 1.2MW in June 2023, followed by powertrain validation at 1MW in October 2023. Mathias Andriamisaina, ZEROe head of testing and demonstration, noted that the architecture matches the final design principles.
Airbus selected hydrogen fuel cell technology in 2025 after evaluating combustion and fuel cell options since the ZEROe program’s 2020 launch. The company plans A380 test flights in 2026 and further enhancements to fuel cell performance by end-2027, including a 1.2MW end-to-end system with S1-standard components. Despite delays pushing commercial entry beyond 2035 due to ecosystem challenges, Airbus continues investing hundreds of millions of euros.