EASA holds first international workshop on certifying hydrogen aircraft
December 23, 2024
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has held its first international workshop on “the challenges and future processes for certifying aircraft powered by hydrogen,” with over 100 representatives from “all corners of the hydrogen community” joining the inaugural formal discussion.
The event provided an opportunity to discuss EASA’s hydrogen certification roadmap at an in-person event in Cologne, Germany. Delegates included representatives of fuel cell companies, academics, research institutes, startups and well-established companies. International authorities also included the UK’s CAA, the US FAA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB).
During discussions, workshop participants “agreed that more attention… needs to be paid to the application of technologies in aviation and to the exploration of technology bricks, such as hydrogen storage, and to airworthiness considerations, like prevention of fire and explosions, and other similar aspects”.
However, whilst all parties remained in consensus that “current levels of safety must be at least maintained,” the optimum time for authorities’ involvement was also a point of discussion – with it “considered that a certain maturation of the technology is needed to engage authorities in an effective manner”. The role of the operators, and how and when to best engage them, was also discussed.
