Two of Europe’s leading aviation companies have cast doubt on hydrogen’s ability to replace kerosene in the near future, arguing that scaling up sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is the best option to decarbonise flying.
“The problem is with its density,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer of military and business jets.
“If we want to carry enough hydrogen in an aircraft, we have to compress it at very high pressures, or liquefy it at very low temperatures,” Trappier said, adding: “The consensus is that hydrogen use may be limited to short and medium range flights.”