EasyJet And GKN Aerospace Join Forces To Accelerate Adoption Of Hydrogen In Aviation

EasyJet has teamed up with GKN Aerospace to further development of GKN’s Hydrogen propulsion jet in a bold move to reduce carbon emissions, de-carbonize aviation, and demonstrate a commitment to environmental social responsibility.

Hydrogen powered aircraft is not a new phenomenon, in fact the first H2 aircraft, the Soviet Union’s Tu-155, developed from the Tupolev Tu-154, had its maiden flight in 1988.

This appears to be a two-part solution, comprising the Hydrogen Combustion Jet (H2JET) and Hydrogen Fuel Cell (H2GEAR) technology. Since then, papers have been presented, and some exploration and development has occurred. H2 has great appeal compared to Jet fuel because hydrogen has, in a nutshell 2.8 times more ‘specific energy’ per block than Jet fuel, however, the ‘state’ of the H2, whether cryogenic liquid or gaseous presents different challenges for both storage and consumption. It will be interesting to see the fruits of this partnership, and how cost-effective the hydrogen fuel cell proves to be.

EasyJet, founded in 1995 is a U.K. based low-cost air carrier operating some brand new A318 and A320 aircraft from Airbus. It boasts a workforce of over 13,000, some 4000 of which are pilots, 7000 are cabin crew, recently added the A320neo to its fleet, and hopes to add 99 more by the end of 2022!  GKN Aerospace is also a U.K. based global company with 15,000 employees across 12 countries and 38 manufacturing sites.

FMI: https://www.GKNAerospace.com/en, https://easyJet.com