Beyond Borders: Liquid Hydrogen Propulsion and the Future of Flight with Fokker Next Gen
This is the lead story in the May/June issue of Regional International, the magazine from the European Regional Airline Association. You can read the full edition of the magazine here.
Fokker Next Gen’s vision of the future
It is 50 years in the future, and humanity's pursuit of sustainable flight has yielded better results than anyone could have imagined. Gone are the days of heavily polluting engines and sky-high emissions. Instead, a fleet of eco-friendly aircraft fly across the sky, propelled by the power of innovation and a collective commitment to preserving our planet for future generations.
But how do we arrive at this version of aviation's future? The journey will be challenging, but it will be a testament to human ingenuity. There is a global collective awakening to the urgent need for change—a realization that the status quo is simply unsustainable, and will not get us to the committed aviation industry target of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
What is Fokker Next Gen’s product?
Fokker Next Gen is designing a clean sheet aircraft to contribute towards this vision of the future. The design is a single aisle narrow body commercial aircraft with a range of 1,400nm (2,590 kms) seating 120 to 150 passengers, seamlessly fitting in current airline operations against comparable cost (CASK). The aircraft will have an innovative dual fuel design, enabling the aircraft to fly on liquid hydrogen combustion (LH2), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), or – if no other fuel type is available – jet fuel. Entry into service is currently scheduled for 2035, although Fokker Next Gen is exploring all possibilities to accelerate this timeline.
Why is Fokker Next Gen focusing on Liquid Hydrogen combustion?
Fokker Next Gen has chosen liquid hydrogen (LH2) combustion technology for the medium range distances common in narrow body commercial aircraft routes. From an environmental standpoint, when pure hydrogen is combusted, the only byproducts are oxygen and water, meaning a flight purely powered by LH2 would produce zero CO2 while in flight. Going one step further, if the liquid hydrogen has been produced through one of the various zero-emission production methods (e.g. green hydrogen) this will provide a truly zero-CO2 emitting fuel.
In terms of engine design, the use of combustion engines instead of fuel cells or batteries means that the aircraft can incorporate its’ innovative dual fuel set up so that SAF or kerosene can be utilized as the aircraft fuel if LH2 is not available due to supply chain or infrastructure issues. By offering this innovatively flexible design, the Fokker Next Gen aircraft will not be limited to only fly between airports with LH2 fueling capability, allowing infrastructure to catch up where aircraft is flown.
The world has seen an exponential increase in funding for both the supply and demand of hydrogen in the last few years, to the tune of billions of euros globally. This means that the entire technological ecosystem around hydrogen is incentivized to solve challenges together through mechanisms such as the EU’s REPowerEU plan.
Next steps towards flying on Liquid Hydrogen Combustion
With any new application of a technology there are always challenges. We are already working on these considerations at Fokker Next Gen through various projects, agreements with partners, and work through various associations such as ERAA, Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking (CAJU), the EU’s Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation (AZEA), and the Netherland’s own Luchtvaart in Transitie (LiT).
Our next major milestone will be Project CAVENDISH, which was featured in the Paris Air Lab tent during the 2023 Paris Air Show. This is a joint CAJU effort led by Rolls Royce to ground test an engine on liquid hydrogen combustion. Once ground testing has been completed, our next major technical milestone will be to execute Project HOT, our flying demonstrator, for which Fokker Next Gen was awarded a EUR 25 million subsidy through Luchtvaart in Transitie (LiT) by the Dutch Government.
Safety
The core values of Fokker Next Gen start first and foremost with a focus on safety. With a rich history dating all the way back to 1912, we have a long history of successful certification and cooperation with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). As aviation certification, regulatory, and safety authorities are not particularly familiar with hydrogen, we have already opened a dialogue with them on this. The initial aircraft performance, certification, and operational data will be completed as part of Project HOT.
Infrastructure
From an infrastructure challenge standpoint, in 2023 we agreed to help develop green hydrogen infrastructure at Groningen Airport Eelde. Along with partners such as the Province of Drenthe, RWE, Hynetwork, Engie, NLR, Shell, Airport Creators, New Energy Coalition, TotalEnergies, and Airbus Netherlands, we will cooperate by sharing expertise on how to store hydrogen, transport it, and eventually supply it to customers such as airlines.
What is next for Fokker Next Gen?
The first airlines and lessors have signed memorandum of understandings with Fokker Next Gen, spanning across Europe and Asia. By starting to work with, and receive orders from, various airlines we are able to incorporate commercial insights into the development phase of the aircraft. As an example, earlier in May Fokker Next Gen and airBaltic announced the first public memorandum of understanding between Fokker Next Gen and an airline. With this MOU in place, airBaltic is interested in evaluating the potential of hydrogen powered aircraft opportunities with Fokker Next Gen.
We are in the design phase of our aircraft, and are leveraging cutting edge digital twin tools such as Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE to work through extensive design and testing phases to reduce waste and accelerate innovation. As we do not have legacy manufacturing lines, we are able to approach the design and build of our aircraft in new and different ways. We are exploring the building of net-zero manufacturing lines in the north of the Netherlands, with a second possible production line in Liepāja, Latvia as well.
Fokker Next Gen is kicking off projects with technical groups, such as Riga Technical University in Latvia, to look at assessing the environmental impact of flying on liquid hydrogen combustion. We are also pursuing additional partnerships with parties such as hydrogen producers, supply chain players, airports, and others to ensure that we are building a product that works in the future landscape of hydrogen.
Back to the future
Through designing a clean-sheet aircraft with a flexible dual fuel system, Fokker Next Gen is aiming to redefine commercial aviation, offering a pathway to zero-emission flight while ensuring flexibility and reliability in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Challenges abound on this journey, but Fokker Next Gen is meeting them head-on through collaboration, strategic partnerships, and a relentless commitment to safety and excellence. From ground-breaking projects like CAVENDISH to infrastructure development initiatives and certification efforts, the company is laying the groundwork for a sustainable future in aviation.
Looking ahead, Fokker Next Gen remains steadfast in its pursuit of innovation and sustainability. With airlines and lessors already expressing interest, the company is poised to deliver on its vision of a cleaner, greener, and more resilient aviation industry. As the world eagerly anticipates the dawn of a new era in flight, Fokker Next Gen stands ready to lead the way towards a brighter and more sustainable future for aviation, one flight at a time.
