Airbus and MTU Aero Engines advance on hydrogen fuel cell technology for aviation

This MoU was signed during the 55^th Paris Air Show in June 2025 by Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus’ Head of Future Programmes and Dr. Stefan Weber, MTU’s Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology.

The partnership draws on the combined expertise of Airbus, an aircraft manufacturer in hydrogen-powered aviation through its ZEROe project, and MTU Aero Engines, a recognised engine expert for commercial and military aircraft. It follows Airbus’ decision to focus its research effort on a fully electric, hydrogen-powered aircraft with a fuel cell engine, a field in which MTU has developed recognised expertise through its Flying Fuel Cell^TM concept.

The agreement sets out a three-step roadmap for the development of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine suitable for the commercial aviation market. The first step is to mature the technological building blocks essential for the engine through joint research projects, such as clean aviation. The second step will involve aligning the two partners’ research and technology (R&T) roadmaps on hydrogen technologies. The result of these joint explorations would allow the parties to consider a third step towards the development of a fuel-cell engine for a hydrogen powered aircraft.

“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. “Collaborating with MTU 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 recognised engine expert, we are driven by the vision of a revolutionary propulsion concept that allows virtually emissions-free flight,” said Dr. Stefan Weber, SVP Engineering and Technology at MTU Aero Engines. “Today, we are at the centre of a wide-ranging eco-system 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.”

Hydrogen has the potential to play a crucial role in decarbonising aviation in the long-term, and to bring a revolution in air transport comparable to that of electric vehicles in the automotive sector. To that aim, Airbus’ ambition is to bring a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market. The ZEROe project was launched in 2020 to explore the feasibility of two primary hydrogen propulsion technologies: hydrogen combustion and hydrogen fuel cells. In March 2025, during the Airbus Summit, Airbus announced that it was focusing efforts on a fuel cell fully-electric propulsion system. The results of the fuel cell prototype and powertrain testing, as well as research into complementary technology such as cryogenics, support the viability of this technology.

Beyond the aircraft technologies, Airbus will continue to foster the emergence of a hydrogen aviation economy and the associated regulatory framework, which are also critical enablers to the advent of hydrogen-powered flight at scale.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/19062025/airbus-and-mtu-aero-engines-advance-on-hydrogen-fuel-cell-technology-for-aviation/