Hydrogen-powered flights are gaining traction. But are they really the future of aviation?

 

Earlier in March, Universal Hydrogen successfully completed a 15-minute voyage of a hydrogen-powered flight. The Dash 8-300 aircraft, which typically carries about 50 passengers, had to be redesigned in order to hold the engine — and over 65 pounds worth of liquid hydrogen. Now that hydrogen-powered flights are gaining traction, could they be the future of aviation?

Climate activists should not rejoice just yet. While hydrogen-powered planes show a lot of promise in eliminating the aviation industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, they do come with their limitations. The hydrogen-powered Dash 8-300 aircraft, for instance, partially relied on jet fuel during the flight. Plus, liquid hydrogen has thrice the energy density of jet fuel, and therefore, needs much larger storage tanks. This means hydrogen-powered flights will not be able to fly as many passengers — or we will just need bigger planes. Furthermore, airports will need to be fitted with special infrastructure that supports the storage of hydrogen.

Human rights and national security lawyer Irina Tsukerman, who serves as the President of Scarab Rising, Inc, which implements individualized media strategies, and conducts market research and analysis, highlights the limitations of hydrogen-powered airplanes.

Irina’s thoughts:

“The likelihood of widespread zero emissions air travel in the next two years is extremely low. The first flight that recently took place that was hydrogen-fueled lasted only 15 minutes. The reason for why it’s not likely to happen is that hydrogen has the unique property of taking up a lot of space. The various testings of flights, particularly in the United Kingdom, have shown that capacity is a serious impediment in long-haul travel and making travel more affordable and widespread internationally. For the next few years, these flights are very likely to be of short duration. There is a possibility that, in 10 years, travel will become fully zero emissions, but only if a new model of plane is developed that can accommodate hydrogen properties that are currently taking up a lot of space. There are several airplane designs that are being considered for that purpose, but so far, in terms of innovation, in terms of making hydrogen compatible with a long-term flight of the current model, that is impossible. Something is going to have to give. Some of the designs have to limit the baggage area or the designs have had to compromise on other airplane qualities. So far, there hasn’t been a single design that can comfortably accommodate a long-term flight fully powered by hydrogen, that would also not be a significant detriment to the airplane’s capacity, in some significant way that would make it extremely inconvenient for commercial flights. So we have a long way to go before that becomes a reality, but expect more experimentation, short term flights and local flights. These are certainly going to become much more common in the next few years.”

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

digital freight invoicing
ODeX Is Leading the Charge in Digital Freight Invoicing
April 24, 2025

Global shipping continues to grapple with fragmented billing processes, often delaying cargo movement. According to McKinsey, adopting an electronic bill of lading could save $6.5 billion in direct costs and enable $40 billion in global trade. As vessels carry goods for thousands of shippers per voyage, the administrative burden of managing and reconciling invoices…

Read More
Human Intelligence Movement
Just Thinking… about Reimagining Education for the AI Era with the Human Intelligence Movement
April 24, 2025

As artificial intelligence reshapes education, work, and daily life, educators are grappling with how to prepare students for a future where human skills—not just knowledge—will be paramount. In fact, a growing number of reports highlight that employers increasingly value collaboration, communication, and emotional intelligence over memorized content. Amid this transformation, the Human Intelligence Movement…

Read More
The Value of a Restoration Team with Healthcare Experience
The Value of a Restoration Team with Healthcare Experience
April 24, 2025

In this episode of Inside Restoration & Recovery, host Martha Lewis welcomes Jason McClaren, Director of Facilities Operations at Reunion Rehabilitation Hospitals, to discuss the critical advantage of partnering with a restoration team experienced in healthcare. A former firefighter and military veteran, Jason has spent the last decade managing safety, risk, and emergency preparedness…

Read More
Science of reading
Educators Must Combine 1:1 Tutoring with the Science of Reading to Close the Reading Gap
April 23, 2025

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education system faced a seismic shift. Learning loss, especially in foundational literacy, was a national crisis. In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders in the U.S. were reading proficiently, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Meanwhile, tutoring exploded as a top strategy to recover…

Read More