Airbus is targeting an approximately 80-seat hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft as the first product under its ZEROe programme. The initial design would have a range of about 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 kilometres), positioning it for shorter regional routes and representing a more specific, smaller configuration than the company’s earlier concept for up to 100 passengers.
Lars Wagner, chief executive of Airbus Commercial Aircraft, outlined the target during a media briefing in Toulouse on Wednesday. He described 80 seats as the most economically viable configuration for a first-generation aircraft, given the physical constraints of hydrogen propulsion and the amount of hydrogen it could carry. Initial flight testing could use a much smaller aircraft with about 20 seats before development progresses towards the commercial design.
The project has yet to receive a formal launch decision. Airbus has not disclosed a final configuration, entry-into-service date or customer. Its revised ZEROe concept reportedly has two fewer engines than an earlier design, although it is not clear whether that arrangement applies directly to the proposed 80-seat aircraft. The programme would also take Airbus into the sub-100-seat commercial-aircraft market, supporting an initial focus on regional operations before any potential expansion to larger aircraft.