Hydrogen powered jets could be cheaper to run than fossil fuel planes from 2035 provided kerosene is taxed adequately, a new study shows.

In 2035, running planes on hydrogen could be eight per cent more expensive than using kerosene, but, and it is a big but, taxes on fossil jet fuel and carbon could make traditional aviation ten per cent more expensive, meaning that hydrogen planes could have a two per cent net advantage.

An economic study by research group Steer, and commissioned by T&E, looked at future operating costs of hydrogen planes on intra-European flights and found that they could be an efficient, cost competitive technology to decarbonise the sector.

Airbus, which has already launched three concepts for hydrogen planes, has warned that the slow development of the hydrogen ecosystem is one of the major hurdles. Airbus has also opposed a criterion in the EU taxonomy whereby only zero emission aircraft would get a green investment label, suggesting Airbus has doubts on the commercial viability of such aircraft.

The analysis also shows that the total cost of deploying hydrogen aircraft for intra-European aviation would be €299bn by 2050. The development of hydrogen aircraft would only represent five per cent of the cost (€15bn). This relatively small upfront cost must however happen before 2035, or risks jeopardising the success of these new planes.

The bulk of the spending will not lie within the sector. It instead relies on the wider development of the green hydrogen economy. Over half of the cost (54 per cent or €161bn) will come down to the production of green hydrogen. Another 23 per cent will be needed for liquefaction of hydrogen - the process by which gaseous hydrogen is cooled at very low temperatures to become a liquid. Further costs lie in developing hydrogen infrastructure at airports (12 per cent) and the distribution of the fuel to airports (6 per cent).

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