Airbus and MTU Aero Engines have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance hydrogen fuel cell propulsion technology for aviation. The agreement was signed at the Paris Airshow by Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus’ Head of Future Programmes, and Dr. Stefan Weber, MTU’s SVP Engineering and Technology.
The collaboration leverages Airbus’ expertise in hydrogen-powered aviation through its ZEROe project and MTU’s knowledge in engine development. This partnership is part of Airbus’ strategy to develop a fully electric, hydrogen-powered aircraft with a fuel cell engine—a field where MTU has notable experience via its Flying Fuel Cell concept.
The MoU outlines a three-step plan for developing a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine suitable for commercial aviation. Initially, both companies will work on technological building blocks essential for the engine through joint research projects like Clean Aviation. Subsequently, they will align their research roadmaps on hydrogen technologies. These efforts aim to pave the way toward developing a fuel-cell engine for hydrogen-powered aircraft.
Bruno Fichefeux expressed confidence in this venture: “Our focus on fully electric fuel cell propulsion technology for future hydrogen-powered aircraft underscores our confidence and progress in this domain.” He emphasized that collaborating with MTU would allow them to pool collective knowledge and accelerate technology maturation.
Dr. Stefan Weber from MTU Aero Engines highlighted the potential impact of this collaboration: “As a globally recognised engine expert, we are driven by the vision of a revolutionary propulsion concept that allows virtually emissions-free flight.” He noted that partnering with Airbus would enable addressing both technology maturity and platform integration aspects jointly.
Hydrogen is seen as pivotal in decarbonizing aviation long-term, potentially revolutionizing air transport akin to electric vehicles in the automotive sector. Airbus aims to introduce a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market through its ZEROe project launched in 2020. The company announced during its March 2025 summit that it is focusing on a fully-electric propulsion system using fuel cells.
MTU Aero Engines continues progressing towards revolutionary propulsion systems related to fuel cells, having achieved several milestones recently including starting stack manufacturing for their demonstrator and successfully testing their eMoSys electric motor.
