The world's largest aircraft manufacturer Airbus is working with the French-American engine manufacturer CFM International to develop a hydrogen-powered aircraft engine.
By the middle of the decade, a so-called demonstrator for such an engine that runs on hydrogen instead of kerosene should be available, as the two partners announced on Tuesday.
To do this, CFM is converting a conventional turbofan engine so that it can be operated with hydrogen.
As part of the feasibility study, this is to be installed in an A380 wide-bodied aircraft with hydrogen tanks and tested on the ground and in the air.
The Airbus partner is owned equally by the French supplier Safran and the US conglomerate GE and competes with aircraft engines including MTU Aero.
In 2020, Airbus promised to make emission-free flying possible by 2035.
A passenger plane should be on the road by 2035
By then, a small “ZEROe” passenger aircraft with hydrogen propulsion is to be developed.
"Since the presentation of our ZEROe concepts in September 2020, this is the most important step that Airbus has taken to usher in a new era of flying with hydrogen propulsion," said Airbus Technology Director Sabine Klauke at a press conference on Tuesday.
She declined to comment on the cost of the project.
Last year, CFM also announced next-generation engines for 2035, which can also be operated with hydrogen.
The combustion chamber has to withstand higher temperatures.
However, the direct combustion of hydrogen as a fuel is only one of two options for Airbus.
Klauke said the aircraft manufacturer remains open to fuel cell technology, which uses hydrogen to power an electric motor.
The decision should be made by 2025.
Airbus boss Guillaume Faury recently said in the "Welt am Sonntag" that the Franco-German group could also build the engines for hydrogen aircraft itself, but put that into perspective last week.