Airbus touts sustainable fuel after hydrogen evangelism

Airbus will buttress its moonshot plan to build a hydrogen aircraft by the middle of the next decade with an effort to power conventional jets with sustainable fuels. CEO Guillaume Faury said Tuesday that he’s confident the European planemaker can bring a hydrogen plane into service by 2035. In the meantime, Airbus will work to increase the amount of sustainable aviation fuel that can be used in its engines, with a goal of reaching 100% from the current 50%. “I’d like to correct a misunderstanding,” Faury said. “We’re not saying it’s hydrogen and its not sustainable fuels. It’s both, and on the contrary, in the very short term, sustainable aviation fuels will definitely play a very important role.” Faury’s comments bring Airbus closer to the stance of rival Boeing, whose CEO Dave Calhoun has dismissed the potential for hydrogen power to be used at scale in commercial aviation for decades. The US manufacturer is targeting certifying its aircraft lineup to fly on 100% sustainable fuels by 2030. The debate plays into the high-stakes chess-game over which aircraft designs get greenlighted in coming years. <br/>