CIOTech Outlook Team | Thursday, 19 June 2025, 13:23 IST
Airbus and MTU Aero Engines have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaboratively advance hydrogen fuel cell propulsion, a vital and promising technology for aviation decarbonization.
This Memorandum of Understanding was signed today at the 55th Paris Air Show by Bruno Fichefeux, head of future programs at Airbus, and Dr. Stefan Weber, senior vice-president of engineering and technology at MTU.
The collaboration leverages the joint knowledge of Airbus, a prominent aircraft manufacturer and innovator in hydrogen-driven aviation via its ZEROe project, and MTU Aero Engines, a worldwide acknowledged specialist in engines for both commercial and military aircraft.
This follows Airbus's choice to concentrate its research on a fully electric, hydrogen-fueled aircraft utilizing a fuel cell engine, an area where MTU has gained acknowledged expertise via its Flying Fuel Cell concept.
The pact outlines a three-phase plan for creating a hydrogen-fueled fuel cell engine designed for the commercial aviation sector. The initial phase involves developing the technological components crucial for the engine via collaborative research initiatives like Clean Aviation.
The next step will entail synchronizing the research and technology roadmaps of the two partners concerning hydrogen technologies. The outcome of these collaborative explorations would enable us to contemplate a third phase in the creation of a fuel cell engine for an aircraft powered by hydrogen.
“Our focus on fully electric fuel cell propulsion technology for future hydrogen-powered aircraft underscores our confidence and progress in this domain,” said Bruno Fichefeux, head of future programmes at Airbus.
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“Collaborating with MTU, a leader in engine manufacturing and innovation is a perfect complement to our own advancements. This partnership will allow us to pool our collective knowledge, accelerate the maturation of critical technologies, and ultimately deliver a revolutionary hydrogen-powered propulsion system for future commercial aircraft. Together, we are not just imagining a sustainable future of flight, we are actively pioneering it.”
“As a globally recognized engine expert, we are driven by the vision of a revolutionary propulsion concept that allows virtually emissions-free flight,” said Dr. Stefan Weber, senior vice-president of engineering and technology at MTU Aero Engines.
“Today, we are at the centre of a wide-ranging ecosystem of partners aiming to achieve the complete electrification of the powertrain by using fuel cell technology. Partnering with Airbus opens up the possibility to jointly address both technology maturity and platform integration aspects. Our joint efforts in the years to come are the first step in paving the way for a potential product development in the future.”
