The European aircraft company Airbus has renewed its commitment to advancing hydrogen propulsion. Dominik Asam, chief financial officer, said to FAZ: “We want to lead the way in development, to be the pioneers of this market” (Saturday edition).

Asam stated that a “not insignificant three-digit million euro portion” of Airbus’ anticipated 2.9 billion euro development budget for this year is already going towards hydrogen technology. The CFO of Airbus confessed to the FAZ, however, that “a great deal of imagination” is still required to create a hydrogen airplane with 150 or more seats. Hydrogen would initially be a problem for short-haul flights up to 1,800 kilometers, he claimed, due to the massive air resistance that would occur from the large tanks under current conditions.

Almost the entirety of Europe, he stated, is connected. Asam stated that the aircraft will “likely be smaller, with roughly 100 passengers.” The chief financial officer of Airbus has predicted that the present supply bottlenecks would soon ease; at the end of June, the company was unable to deliver 26 aircraft owing to a lack of engines. Asam informed FAZ that the engine makers are undergoing a reassessment and that strategies have been formulated with them to meet the promised deliveries over the next three years. Asam ruled out any production delays caused by titanium, an essential material in airplane manufacturing. He stated, “We have an abundance of titanium in stock.” In addition to Russia, the research and certification of another source is “in full swing.”

“I’m delighted to hear that airlines validate the raison d’être of the A380,” the CFO of Airbus said FAZ in response to airline complaints about the absence of extremely big new aircraft, such as those from Emirates. He stated that there has not been a comprehensive investigation. He diminished the likelihood of a revival in the manufacturing of extremely big new aircraft. Asam stated that the former A380 manufacturing hangars are already being used for other purposes.