<p>Britain's Rolls-Royce said it has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen, a world aviation first that marks a major step towards proving the gas could be key to decarbonising air travel.</p>.<p>The ground test, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine, used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power, the British company said on Monday.</p>.<p>Rolls and its testing programme partner easyJet are seeking to prove that hydrogen can safely and efficiently deliver power for civil aero engines.</p>.<p>They said they were already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests.</p>.<p>Hydrogen is one of a number of competing technologies that could help the aviation industry achieve its goal of becoming net zero by 2050.</p>.<p>Planemaker Airbus is working with French-US engine maker CFM International to test hydrogen propulsion technology.</p>.<p>It said in February it planned to fit a specially adapted version of a current generation engine near the back of an A380 superjumbo test plane.</p>.<p>The aircraft manufacturer however told the European Union in 2021 that most airliners will rely on traditional jet engines until at least 2050.</p>.<p>A switch to hydrogen-powered engines would require a complete redesign of airframes and infrastructure at airports.</p>.<p>Eric Schulz, chief executive of SHZ Consulting, said in July that the changes in design are so massive it would take more than one generation of aircraft to get there.</p>.<p>Other technologies backed by companies such as Rolls-Royce include electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).</p>.<p>Engines that are already in service can use a mixture of SAF and conventional fuels, but it is only currently produced in miniscule levels.</p>.<p>It could eventually be produced by combining carbon captured from the air with green hydrogen, but the process is energy intensive and not yet available on a large scale.</p>
<p>Britain's Rolls-Royce said it has successfully run an aircraft engine on hydrogen, a world aviation first that marks a major step towards proving the gas could be key to decarbonising air travel.</p>.<p>The ground test, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine, used green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power, the British company said on Monday.</p>.<p>Rolls and its testing programme partner easyJet are seeking to prove that hydrogen can safely and efficiently deliver power for civil aero engines.</p>.<p>They said they were already planning a second set of tests, with a longer-term ambition to carry out flight tests.</p>.<p>Hydrogen is one of a number of competing technologies that could help the aviation industry achieve its goal of becoming net zero by 2050.</p>.<p>Planemaker Airbus is working with French-US engine maker CFM International to test hydrogen propulsion technology.</p>.<p>It said in February it planned to fit a specially adapted version of a current generation engine near the back of an A380 superjumbo test plane.</p>.<p>The aircraft manufacturer however told the European Union in 2021 that most airliners will rely on traditional jet engines until at least 2050.</p>.<p>A switch to hydrogen-powered engines would require a complete redesign of airframes and infrastructure at airports.</p>.<p>Eric Schulz, chief executive of SHZ Consulting, said in July that the changes in design are so massive it would take more than one generation of aircraft to get there.</p>.<p>Other technologies backed by companies such as Rolls-Royce include electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).</p>.<p>Engines that are already in service can use a mixture of SAF and conventional fuels, but it is only currently produced in miniscule levels.</p>.<p>It could eventually be produced by combining carbon captured from the air with green hydrogen, but the process is energy intensive and not yet available on a large scale.</p>