This upcoming milestone follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both companies at the Paris Air Show in June 2025. The new joint venture is expected to start operations in 2027.
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By establishing a dedicated organisational set-up, the partners aim to accelerate technology development, design, testing and certification of a revolutionary propulsion system for aviation based on a hydrogen fuel cell. The new entity will be supported by Airbus and MTU with all their competences and through various engineering and manufacturing teams from both organisations.
Hydrogen has the potential to play a crucial role in substantially reducing the climate impact of aviation in the long term and transforming air transport in a way comparable to the impact of electric vehicles in the automotive sector.
The joint venture is driven by the partners’ shared ambition to create the technology leader in this field and provide the first hydrogen–based fuel cell propulsion system to a commercial aircraft. It will combine Airbus’ extensive commercial aircraft programme knowledge, significant fuel cell propulsion and liquid hydrogen expertise with MTU’s multi-year fuel cell technology development and its recognised engine design, integration, validation and certification as well as maintenance expertise.