Boeing and Airbus: A Stark Contrast on Hydrogen

Boeing acknowledges hydrogen’s potential, while Airbus plans a hydrogen-fueled airliner by 2035.

Thom Patterson

Tuesday, July 05, 2022 at 02:19 PM ET

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Boeing has committed that its commercial airplanes will be capable of burning 100 percent SAF by 2030. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Boeing's new sustainability report primarily focuses on improved efficiency and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), committing to making its commercial airplanes 100 percent SAF-capable by 2030.
In contrast to Airbus's aggressive hydrogen initiatives for zero-emission aircraft by 2035, Boeing's report offers few concrete details on its vision or near-term plans for using hydrogen as a commercial aviation fuel.
Boeing views SAF as the "safest and most measurable solution" for reducing aviation carbon emissions over the next 20 to 30 years, though it continues fundamental research on hydrogen applications like cryogenic fuel tanks.
Other sustainability efforts highlighted include achieving net-zero CO2 emissions at manufacturing facilities, increasing renewable electricity use, and investing in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology.

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Boeing’s new sustainability report talks a lot about improved efficiency and the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), but—while Airbus is aggressively researching hydrogen fuel technologies—the Boeing report doesn’t include many details about its vision for using hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

The report stands in stark contrast to Airbus’s announcement last February—in partnership with GE Aviation and CFM International—to “flight test a direct combustion engine fueled by hydrogen in preparation for entry into service of a zero-emission aircraft by 2035.”