A new research initiative involving Airbus and several German research institutions aims to develop a scalable hydrogen fuel cell system for regional aircraft carrying up to 100 passengers.
The project, called GENtwoPRO, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy under the country’s aviation research program LuFo VII-1 through the Climate and Transformation Fund.
Participants in the initiative include the PEM Chair at RWTH Aachen University, German Aerospace Center, fuel cell company Aerostack, and technology partners such as TLK-Thermo and Technical University of Braunschweig.
The project forms part of Airbus’ broader efforts to explore hydrogen-powered aviation through its ZeroE program, which was first announced in 2020. Airbus has said hydrogen propulsion could initially be suitable for short- and medium-haul aircraft carrying between 100 and 200 passengers with ranges of about 1,000 to 2,000 nautical miles.
While the company initially targeted 2035 for the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft, industry observers now consider around 2040 to be a more realistic timeframe given technological development and certification requirements.
The GENtwoPRO project does not aim to develop an entire aircraft but instead focuses on fuel cell systems that convert hydrogen into electricity to power electric aircraft propulsion.
Current fuel cell systems are largely designed for trucks and buses, meaning they must be adapted to meet the operational and safety requirements of aviation.
“In order to make hydrogen usable as an energy source in aviation, fuel cell systems must not only be powerful, but also durable, scalable, and qualified,” said Achim Kampker.
Researchers plan to develop a low-temperature proton exchange membrane (LT-PEM) fuel cell system designed specifically for aviation. These systems typically operate at temperatures between 60°C and 90°C and offer rapid start-up capability without long warm-up periods, a feature considered important for flight safety scenarios such as emergency manoeuvres.
Another focus of the project is improving the system’s power density, which is critical for aviation applications where weight remains a key constraint.
The consortium will explore new stack designs, including thinner bipolar plates, to increase energy output while maintaining a high power-to-weight ratio suitable for aircraft propulsion.