Opinion: Airbus’ Hydrogen Smoke And Mirrors

Two years ago, I denounced the fool’s game Airbus was playing around its hydrogen airplane, accusing the company of building hydrogen hype, not airplanes. Everything makes sense now. Has Airbus invested the €15 billion ($15.6 billion) we estimate would be required to develop a short-/medium-haul hydrogen aircraft? No. Will it support European regulation to ensure the development of the hydrogen market? No. Will it push Boeing to join the race for hydrogen aviation? Certainly not.

Airbus’ quiet admission late on Feb. 7—a Friday evening—that it is delaying its hydrogen dream stands in stark contrast to the gushing press releases of previous years. After lulling us with stories of aviation at the cutting edge of innovation—brave like the Wright brothers, visionary like French aviator Jean Mermoz—the industry is now facing reality. In the end, Airbus is just another company guided by maximizing profits, whether that comes at the expense of the climate or not.

Did anyone really believe that without binding regulation a company like Airbus, which enjoys a near monopoly, would invest €15 billion in a risky endeavor that would be less profitable than its cash cow, the A320? Airbus is now hiding behind the excuse of the slow start of the hydrogen ecosystem to justify delaying its program, even though the first aircraft were supposed to be commercialized in 10 years. A signal from a major player could have the power to drive the rest of the aviation industry in the right direction on the path to sustainability—not the other way around.

Did French and European decision-makers believe in this fairy tale? I will leave it to French taxpayers to judge whether the €1.5 billion in public money handed to the sector under the guise of a “green plane” and a “decarbonized future for aviation” were well spent. What I see is a hydrogen airplane program that was used to distract political leaders. The sad reality is that now we will end up with more fossil-fuel-burning aircraft in the sky than ever before. We are no closer to a breakthrough: not on hydrogen, not on electric, not on hybrid aircraft or new designs. It was all smoke and mirrors.

The news of the program’s demise should serve as a wake-up call for French and European policymakers. As we have demonstrated, the sector’s growth prospects are irreconcilable with climate goals. Abandoning the hydrogen aircraft only worsens the prospects of the sector reaching net-zero carbon emissions.

The first lesson is that the industry’s promises are not worth the paper on which they are written. Only regulation can achieve environmental goals. This has been true for electric cars, clean energy and chemical pollution. Why would aircraft be an exception?

The second lesson is that no empire lasts forever. Just think of Europe’s once proud automobile industry. Airbus reminds me of Volkswagen pre-Dieselgate. It looks unassailable—but is it? It is only a matter of time before China joins the clean aviation race in earnest. Can the European aircraft manufacturing industry really afford to rest on its laurels?

The third lesson is that if we want change, governments need to act. Alongside regulation, there should be more targeted funding to deploy zero-emission aircraft, looking at the most promising technology. Even if their contribution to reducing emissions may be limited, we should promote zero-emission aircraft, exempting them from airport charges, giving them free slots and prioritizing and ultimately requiring them on publicly funded routes (such as to islands). We should reward electric flying, not just biofuel, in the EU’s Clean Aviation regulations, and we should accelerate the certification of new technologies and designs.

The time for grand promises is over; we need to face reality. Will the Paris Air Show in June be a grand celebration for green aviation or yet another farcical spectacle? I leave it up to governments to decide.

William Todts is executive director at Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based organization that advocates for clean transport and energy.