Transport / Loganair hopes for world’s first hydrogen plane route by 2030
LOGANAIR is aiming to deliver the world’s first commercial hydrogen fuel aircraft route within the next five years.
The airline hopes to deliver sustainable regional flights in Orkney using hydrogen fuel, and is exploring how this can be rolled out across Scotland.
Kirkwall Airport will be used as a test site as part of the ‘Hydrogen Challenge’, which the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced will be expanded.
Loganair said it has identified “various short-haul routes from Orkney which are perfect for hydrogen-fuelled services”.
The second phase of the Hydrogen Challenge will test the necessary infrastructure required to operate these services long term, Loganair added.
Loganair chief Luke Farajallah said last year that the concept of hybrid-electric aircraft is seen in the industry as a “normal, natural and logical stepping stone” to get to a fully electric version.
The airline is working with Heart Aerospace, which is developing a hybrid-electric aircraft with the capacity to carry up to 30 passengers. There is a hope that they could be flying in Loganair colours before the end of the decade.
Farajallah reiterated his view that Shetland and Orkney are “perfect locations on the map” for the project.
He added that Loganair will be up in the Northern Isles “fairly shortly” to demonstrate how and where this technology could be used.
The meeting also heard that the Heart Aerospace aircraft could be tested in the US as early as 2025, with the Mojave Desert lined up as the location.
The airline’s safety and sustainability director Rebecca Borresen said: “Loganair is a true industry leader in this space, and we are very proud of the strides we have taken forward in making sustainable regional aviation a reality.
“This project aims to meet the ambition of delivering the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial flight before 2030.
“The second phase of the ‘Hydrogen Challenge’ will allow us to further test operations and work with our partners to create the necessary building blocks to allow the use of commercially viable hydrogen aircrafts.”
CAA director of communications, strategy and policy Tim Johnson said the UK could be a “world leader in hydrogen propulsion”.
“We are working with some of the most innovative companies and minds to better understand this technology and how it might be introduced safely in the aerospace sector,” he added.
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