EasyJet and Rolls Royce have set a “new aviation milestone” after the first successful attempt to operate an aero engine using hydrogen.
The low-cost carrier and engine manufacturer are pursuing hydrogen technology as a key component of their decarbonisation strategies, and the ground test was conducted on an early concept demonstrator and used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power.
The test took place at an outdoor facility in Wiltshire, UK. The two companies are planning a second set of tests as they work towards carrying out flight tests
Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO, said: “This is a real success for our partnership team. We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft, including easyJet-sized aircraft. That will be a huge step forward in meeting the challenge of net zero by 2050.”
Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, added: “The success of this hydrogen test is an exciting milestone. We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement. We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight.”
EasyJet joined the UN’s Race to Zero campaign in November 2021 and recently published its roadmap to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It includes an interim carbon emissions intensity reduction target of 35 per cent by 2035.