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Airbus and MTU Aero Engines aim to deepen their collaboration by establishing a joint venture focused on the development and marketing of a fully electric hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system. This initiative follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two companies in June 2025 during the Paris Air Show.
Focus on hydrogen technology
The new company is expected to have an agile organizational structure to accelerate the technology development, design, testing, and certification of a novel propulsion system for aviation based on hydrogen fuel cells. Airbus and MTU will contribute their expertise as well as various engineering and manufacturing teams from both organizations to the joint venture.
The non-binding agreement is subject to the usual regulatory approvals and the conduct of social processes at the European and national levels. The launch of the joint venture is planned for 2027.
Bruno Fichefeux, Head of Future Programs at Airbus, stated:
“Our planned joint venture is the next logical step in our shared vision of a hydrogen-based propulsion concept for aviation. By combining our technologies and expertise in a specialized unit, we are creating a European force capable of transforming advanced research into industrialized, certifiable electric propulsion systems.”
Dr. Stefan Weber, Senior Vice President Engineering and Technology at MTU Aero Engines, emphasized:
“Our ambitious goal is to pave the way for a newly developed, safe, reliable, and economical propulsion system that contributes to climate-neutral aviation. This project is a crucial step on our path to the first hydrogen-powered propulsion system.”
Hydrogen has the potential to significantly reduce the climate impact of aviation in the long term and to transform air travel in a manner similar to how electric vehicles have transformed the automotive industry.
Aiming for technological leadership
The joint venture will be driven by the partners‘ shared ambition to create a technology leader in this field and to provide the first hydrogen-based fuel cell propulsion system for commercial aircraft. It will combine Airbus’s extensive knowledge in the field of commercial aircraft with MTU’s long-standing experience in the development of fuel cell technologies and recognized expertise in engine design, integration, validation, and certification.
In addition to propulsion technologies, Airbus and MTU will also further promote the emergence of a hydrogen aviation economy and the associated regulatory framework, which are also crucial prerequisites for the widespread deployment of hydrogen-powered flights.
In March 2025, Airbus had already announced its focus on a fully electric propulsion system with fuel cells. The results of tests on fuel cell prototypes and propulsion systems, as well as research into complementary technologies such as cryogenics, support the feasibility of this technology. MTU Aero Engines has also made significant progress in recent months, including finalizing the design for the Flying Fuel Cell and beginning the production of fuel cell stacks for the demonstrator.
