easyJet and Rolls-Royce have announced the successful completion of a major testing milestone using hydrogen as an aviation fuel, marking a significant step in efforts to reduce aviation emissions.
In an industry first, the companies tested a modified Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 aircraft engine reaching full take off power while running on 100% hydrogen, at NASA’s Stennis Space Centre, near Bay St. Louis Mississippi, US.
The significant milestone is the result of a four-year programme between Rolls-Royce, easyJet and global partners to explore hydrogen as a potential aviation fuel and generate engineering insight for future propulsion applications. easyJet has played a central role in supporting the development of hydrogen gas turbine technology as part of its long-term decarbonisation ambitions. Rolls-Royce’s expanded partnership with TCS helped accelerate progress towards its technology goals by adding capability and capacity across critical engineering workstreams.
During this phase of the testing programme, engineers demonstrated that a modern jet engine, scalable to power a narrowbody aircraft, can safely operate on gaseous hydrogen across a fully simulated flight cycle, including start-up, take-off, cruise, and landing.
The Rolls-Royce programme followed an incremental, technology-led approach to prove the fundamental technologies. Progressing from early engine testing at Boscombe Down in the UK in 2022, the technology was scaled and further developed through a UK and European programme of component and system rig tests, including the development of a full scale hydrogen test facility at the HSE, before moving to full integration into a hydrogen fuelled demonstrator engine. Earlier modifications also focused on adapting the engine to replace traditional jet fuel with hydrogen while considering both carbon and non-CO2 impacts through an expansive combustion programme.
The programme has delivered valuable insights into hydrogen combustion, fuel systems and engine integration, supporting the potential for future hydrogen-powered aircraft to help significantly reduce carbon emissions across European and UK aviation while complementing sustainable aviation fuel to support future growth – as reinforced by research published in the report Enabling Hydrogen in the European Aviation Market.
David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet, said: “This industry-first is a real testament to the progress our partnership with Rolls-Royce has achieved, taking hydrogen from early concept through to full engine build and successful testing in just a few years.
“Demonstrating 100% hydrogen operation at scale is a significant milestone and marks an important step towards easyJet’s net zero ambition, supporting the long-term transition to more sustainable aviation.”
Adam Newman, Chief Engineer, Hydrogen Demonstrator Programme, Rolls-Royce, commented: “This programme has given us the clearest understanding in the industry of how hydrogen behaves in a modern aero gas turbine. Through a collaborative, staged testing approach, we have validated combustion, fuel and control system technologies, and demonstrated the safe use of hydrogen through design, commissioning, maintenance, and testing.
“We have explored a wide range of operating conditions, including fault scenarios, enabling operation at maximum power and across a full flight cycle. The pace of delivery has been critical, and the insights gained, many of which are fuel agnostic, will now be applied across our future programmes, including UltraFan®, strengthening our confidence that the gas turbine will remain at the forefront of sustainable aviation’s future.”
Anupam Singhal, President, Manufacturing, Tata Consultancy Services, added: “This milestone reflects what becomes possible when advanced engineering is combined with digital capabilities and deep ecosystem collaboration to move breakthrough innovation closer to real-world. At TCS, we are proud to support Rolls-Royce in accelerating hydrogen propulsion through integrated engineering, systems, and software expertise.”
This achievement marks a significant step forward – demonstrating not just the viability of hydrogen, but the industry’s readiness to translate ambition into execution.