One of the world’s largest aeronautics and space companies, Airbus, and leading aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines have joined forces to develop the world’s first fully electric hydrogen fuel cell aircraft engine.
The joint venture will reportedly focus on developing and commercializing a fully electric hydrogen fuel cell engine.
Fuel cell collaboration The new company is expected to accelerate every stage of the hydrogen fuel cell engine’s development, from engineering and testing through certification to commercialization.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology generates electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
The venture will develop the first fully electric hydrogen fuel cell engine.
One of the world’s largest aeronautics and space companies, Airbus, and leading aircraft engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines have joined forces to develop the world’s first fully electric hydrogen fuel cell aircraft engine. The deal between the Dutch-based aerospace giant and the German aero engine maker was announced on July 7, 2026. It followed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both firms at the Paris Air Show in June 2025.
The joint venture will reportedly focus on developing and commercializing a fully electric hydrogen fuel cell engine. It will combine Airbus’ expertise in commercial aircraft and liquid hydrogen technologies and MTU’s experience in engine design, fuel cell development, certification, and maintenance. It is set to start operations in 2027. The timeline depends on regulatory approvals and the completion of social processes in Europe. “Our planned joint venture is the next logical step in our shared vision of a hydrogen-based propulsion concept for aviation,” Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus head of future programs, pointed out. Fuel cell collaboration The new company is expected to accelerate every stage of the hydrogen fuel cell engine’s development, from engineering and testing through certification to commercialization. Fichefeux emphasized that it would transform advanced research into industrialized, certifiable electric propulsion systems.
“This new company will help secure strategic sovereignty in the next generation of aviation technologies while strengthening our ability to achieve the long-term ZEROe ambition,” he added. Hydrogen fuel cell technology generates electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. It produces only water vapor as a byproduct. Image credit: MTU 2026 Airbus’ ZEROe ambition is the company’s flagship initiative to develop the world’s first zero-emission, hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft by 2035. The project relies heavily on hydrogen fuel cell propulsion. It aims to completely eliminate in-flight carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, producing only water vapor. Meanwhile, Stefan Weber, PhD, MTU’s senior VP of engineering and technology, described the venture as an important step toward designing a new generation of aircraft propulsion. “Our ambitious goal is to pave the way for a newly developed, safe, reliable, and economical propulsion system that will contribute to climate-neutral aviation,” Weber continued.
A hydrogen-powered future The two companies will focus on a fully electric propulsion system powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The process produces water as the primary byproduct instead of combustion emissions. Their goal is to design the first hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system intended for use on a commercial aircraft. The company will also oversee testing, certification, and commercialization throughout the product’s life cycle. Both Airbus and MTU believe hydrogen could reduce aviation’s climate impact over the long term and drive a transformation similar to that seen in the automotive sector with electric vehicles. The venture will develop the first fully electric hydrogen fuel cell engine. Image credit: MTU 2026 “This project is a crucial milestone on our path to the first hydrogen-powered engine, and this is true European technology leadership,” Weber noted in a press release. “To that end, we want to create a company that covers the entire life cycle of fuel cell powertrains – from development and testing through certification to commercialization.”
But technical development alone will not be enough to bring hydrogen-powered aircraft into service. Airbus and MTU also plan to support the development of the wider hydrogen aviation ecosystem, including the regulatory framework needed to certify and operate hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.
