Hydrogen Aircraft: What Still Has to Work?
Hydrogen can feed a fuel cell that powers an electric aircraft. Making the whole aircraft useful is harder. This video follows the tanks, weight, cooling, hydrogen production, airport infrastructure and certification that still have to work.
MTU’s July 2026 tests, ZeroAvia’s reported revised certification targets and the conditional Airbus–MTU agreement show development progress. Targets are distinguished from approvals. No passenger-service date is promised.
Company announcements are attributed reports. Conceptual background illustrations are not event photographs. Six approved public-domain reference photos are credited on screen.
Educational documentary. Not financial or investment advice.
In these topics
Chapters
- The pitch
- Two ways to use hydrogen
- Inside the fuel cell stack
- The weight and volume problem
- Keeping it at minus 253C
- Cooling the fuel cell in the sky
- Who is building what
- Airbus enters the picture
- The other half of clean: how the hydrogen is made
- Airports have to change too
- The certification wall
- What would have to go right
Sources and credits
Photo credits (Wikimedia Commons)
- Proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack: American government, Policy:http://www.eere.energy.gov/webpolicies/, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APlanar_Stack_PEM.jpg
- PEM high-pressure electrolyser (hydrogen production equipment): DOE, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APEM_high_pressure_electrolyser.jpg
- Solid oxide electrolyser cell (hydrogen production equipment): EERE, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASolid_oxide_electrolyser_cell_prefab.jpg
- NASA Stennis liquid hydrogen storage sphere (107,000-gallon LH2 tank): NASA Stennis Space Center, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ALiquid_hydrogen_sphere_project_%28SSC-20110622-S01007%29.jpg
- NASA Glenn Research Center small liquid hydrogen tank, drop-tower test: NASA Glenn Research Center, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASmall_Liquid_Hydrogen_Tank_for_Drop_Tower_Tests_%28GRC-1964-C-73118%29.jpg
- NASA cryogenic storage tank with shadow shields (1974 cryogenic storage program): Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided, Public domain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACRYOGENIC_STORAGE_PROGRAM_TANK_WITH_SHADOW_SHIELDS_-_NARA_-_17418715.jpg
Primary sources
- MTU Aero Engines, Flying Fuel Cell milestones, 22 July 2026.
- Airbus, Airbus and MTU joint venture, 7 July 2026.
- Airbus, liquid hydrogen storage, 13 December 2021.
- Airbus, CFM combustion demonstrator, 22 February 2022.
- Airbus, ZEROe roadmap update, 25 March 2025.
- US DOE, Fuel Cell Basics, 14 August 2013.
- IEA, Global Hydrogen Reviews 2024 and 2026.
- FAA, final ZA601 special conditions, 91 FR 12917, 18 March 2026.
- Kerry Reals, Runway Girl Network, ZeroAvia headwinds, 3 February 2026.
- EASA, hydrogen certification workshop, 19 December 2024.
Not regulated financial advice.