French aircraft manufacturer Airbus is a part of the New Zealand Hydrogen Aviation Consortium, which also includes Air New Zealand, Christchurch Airport, and energy companies Fortescue, Hiringa Energy, and Fabrum.

The consortium was launched in 2023 amid much fanfare, and said at the time that New Zealand could have hydrogen-powered planes as soon as 2035.

But Airbus announced last week that it is postponing development of its flagship ZEROe hydrogen aircraft programme by five to ten years, as well as cutting the programme’s budget by a quarter.

It seems Airbus is unlikely to develop hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft before the 2040s, if at all, raising questions about the New Zealand consortium’s plans, as well as Christchurch Airport’s stated policy of achieving “absolute zero emissions by 2035,” and Air New Zealand’s net-zero by 2050 policy.

Christchurch Airport’s website was still promoting the hydrogen consortium this morning, saying that green hydrogen is “already proving its worth” around the world and that hydrogen-powered planes are the next logical step “to bring decarbonised aviation to life.”

The website says the consortium will examine the supply chain, assess the local aviation market’s projected hydrogen needs to 2050, and the infrastructure required for development of hydrogen aviation in New Zealand.

A spokesperson for Christchurch Airport told Carbon News that it was too soon for it to comment on what the impact of the Airbus announcement would be. “We will update our website once we understand how this will affect our work programmes with the consortium. We will continue to work to understand the transition options that could assist airlines to reduce their emissions.”

Air New Zealand chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer Kiri Hannifin told Carbon News that the airline was still committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

“Hydrogen-powered aircraft are just one of the levers we have been exploring to achieve this goal, and we continue to focus on other solutions, such as increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), renewing our fleet, and improving operational efficiency. Air New Zealand is also working on a new near-term carbon emission reduction target that takes into account current challenges, including aircraft availability.”

Air New Zealand hit international headlines last year when it dropped the target it set in 2022 of cutting emissions by almost 29% by 2030.

Greenwashing tactics?

Bernard van Dijk, aviation expert at the Hydrogen Science Coalition, argues that multiple problems with hydrogen including safety issues, the impracticality of storing it on planes, problems around handling it at airports and, primarily, the waste of energy in producing it, mean it will never be a realistic solution to decarbonising aviation.

“Even Airbus can’t change the law of physics and chemistry,” van Dijk wrote on social media following the Airbus announcement.

Paul Martin, chemical process development expert, says that promoting hydrogen for aviation is a greenwashing tactic.

“We all suspected that hydrogen was an insane choice as a jet fuel, for reasons of economics and energy density per unit volume even as a liquid - but Bernard Dijk van explained why the aviation aspects of the fuel make it even worse than the simple physics of the fuel would predict.

“But we can all see that for Airbus, hydrogen was a brilliant success - as a predatory delay strategy and source of "OPM" (other people's money) to fund pointless studies,” he wrote on social media website Linkedin.

Paul Callister, climate policy expert and sustainable transport campaigner, says that green hydrogen is rapidly being discredited as a solution to decarbonise transport. “All over the world we are seeing projects to use green hydrogen for buses, trucks and trains collapsing.

“I would be bold enough to say hydrogen is finally dead as a transport fuel whether on land or in the air.”

Callister is co-author of a paper which shows aviation is the only major sector of New Zealand’s economy currently making commitments, such as expanding airports, that are almost certain to increase emissions.

Christchurch Airport has controversial plans to build a new airport at Tarras, which experts say will increase emissions, with rumours that it will apply to fast-track the project, which is currently on hold.

“The Tarras proposal by Christchurch airport focused very much on hydrogen as the ‘sustainable’ fuel of the future,” Callister says.

Many of the aviation industry’s promises over recent years seem like “predatory delay” greenwashing strategies, Callister adds. “None of them are actually leading to any real reductions in emissions.”

There remains hope that commercial electric planes will be flying within a decade or two, Callister says. “But they are likely to still be small and won’t be doing long haul – so the main hope seems to be on biofuel – although some still talk of Power to Fuel – which does use green hydrogen in the process to make synthetic fuel.

“But without a fuel mandate in New Zealand, Alternative Aviation Fuels are unlikely to be used much given the shortages of them and higher costs. With all the proposed airport expansions in New Zealand backed by the push for more tourists, overseas investors, and ‘digital nomads’ it seems almost certain that our aviation emissions will go up.”

Hydrogen testing facility for CHCH airport

Seemingly side-stepping Airbus’s news, this morning Fabrum sent out a media release announcing a new hydrogen testing facility in partnership with Christchurch Airport “to support the development of green hydrogen-powered technologies, primarily in aviation.” The testing site is at Kowhai Park, the airport’s renewable energy precinct.

Fabrum executive chair Christopher Boyle says the test facility demonstrates the “commitment and progress” of Fabrum, Christchurch Airport, and its hydrogen consortium partners to building a hydrogen ecosystem, with aviation as a key focus.

“We’re proud to be working with Christchurch Airport to offer a world-class facility that supports the development and testing of hydrogen solutions to support global decarbonisation efforts. Having liquid hydrogen as an aviation fuel available on-site is vital for the aviation sector, rapidly advancing towards hydrogen-fuelled operations to unlock a zero-emissions future. This collaboration with Christchurch Airport further positions Christchurch as a hub for liquid hydrogen activity.”

The media release doesn’t mention that Airbus has delayed its plans for commercial hydrogen airplanes, or what aircraft will take part in testing at the site.

The hydrogen test-site was co-funded through a grant from Callaghan Innovation.