World’s first commercial hydrogen aircraft is ‘Made in Holland’

The world’s first-ever larger-sized passenger plane (40-80 seats) powered by liquid green hydrogen is to start flying between the Netherlands and London in 2028, Innovation Quarter wrote in a press release.

Dutch companies and organizations are jointly building a hydrogen system for aircraft that is completely green, from fuel to propulsion. The system is scalable to accommodate larger aircraft. This will enable the Netherlands to play a major role in hydrogen-powered aviation worldwide. The aim is to have several commercial flights flying around the world as early as 2028.

Hydrogen Aircraft Powertrain and Storage System (HAPSS) is an all-Dutch public-private partnership, set up by Unified International and InnovationQuarter involving seventeen companies, including Fokker, TU Delft, the Dutch government and the Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre. A total of €383 million from the National Growth Fund was allocated to the Aviation in Transition program, the largest component being the HAPSS project. The system will be ready on a lab scale as early as 2025.

Green flights

An international survey found that more than ninety percent of consumers are willing to pay more for a flight, provided that the flight is completely green. The system will initially be built into an existing 40-80 seater turboprop aircraft and can then be deployed in new zero-emission aircraft with even more passengers.

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Global market

“This project is directly contributing to the Dutch GDP,” says Michel van Ierland of Unified International. In fact, as of 2028, HAPSS will yield 1,200 jobs. “We are creating structural jobs in the green economy with this program. What’s more, we are unlocking a €16 billion global market for the Netherlands. For example, this project is very interesting for Scandinavia and New Zealand, where the focus is currently still on battery-electric technology for short-haul distances.”