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Queensland Airline Skytrans Unveils Plans for Australia’s First Hydrogen-Powered Plane | Air Transport

By June 30, 2022 5   min read  (813 words)

June 30, 2022 |

Fuel Cells Works, Queensland Airline Skytrans Unveils Plans for Australia’s First Hydrogen-Powered Plane | Air Transport

A Queensland airline has announced plans for Australia’s first hydrogen-electric aircraft.

Skytrans airline, which operates out of Cairns and flies to Cape York and the Torres Strait, says the first plane will be in the air by 2026.

Fuel Cells Works, Queensland Airline Skytrans Unveils Plans for Australia’s First Hydrogen-Powered Plane | Air TransportSkytrans Chief Executive Alan Milne said the project would allow the airline to “lead the nation” in reducing the airline industry’s environmental impact and help Skytrans become a fully net-zero airline by 2050.

Aviation is responsible for around 2% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and is considered a particularly difficult sector to decarbonize.

Skytrans has announced it is working with aircraft manufacturer Stralis to retrofit a 19-seat Beech B1900D-HE. The converted aircraft will have a range of 800km, seat 15 people and initially operate at a similar cost to conventionally powered aircraft.

“What is unique about this project is that it aims to develop a powertrain that can be retrofitted,” said Dr. Emma Whittlesea, researcher at Griffith University.

Whittlesea will support the project with other experts from Griffith University and believes the project will be well placed to capitalize on an ’emerging’ global market and the proliferation of a local green hydrogen industry in Queensland.

Stralis co-founder and chief operating officer Stuart Johnstone said the new industry would allow the engines to reduce operating costs by 25% by 2035 as the cost of hydrogen production falls over time.

Stralis aims to help airlines decarbonize and Johnstone said hydrogen is “the most commercially viable, truly sustainable solution” on the market.

However, Keith Tonkin, chief executive of consultancy Aviation Projects, said there are still significant hurdles to overcome to make hydrogen-powered aircraft viable.

“In general, we are talking about brand new technologies and the attempt to create a new system of global energy supply for hydrogen. There’s a whole lot of supply chain work to do to get the hydrogen to where the planes are,” he said.

“To do as well [green] Hydrogen needs a lot of electricity, so there is work to be done in renewable energy too.”

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Tonkin said Skytrans’s isolation from the main supply chain as a regional airline primarily serving Queensland could affect its ability to make the flights commercially viable. But the former Air Force pilot and flight veteran agreed that hydrogen fuel cells are the “ultimate solution” for the industry right now. He said the fuel’s ability to produce high amounts of energy without emissions was a “game changer” and believed the project showed promise.

Tonkin cited a variety of other projects around the world as evidence of the alternative fuel industry’s ambitions. But Australian competitors are at a significant disadvantage because of the “vacuum” in policy and strategic vision at the national and state levels, he said.

Whittlesea agreed: “In a way it’s quite a risk. I mean it’s a great place in terms of the market because there are many, many smaller regional airlines that the solution can be viable for. But in terms of government support, there is not the same policy framework as in other countries.

“The strategic framework in Australia to support something like this does not exist. We don’t even have obligations for aviation to reduce emissions.”

Earlier this month, the European Commission launched an “Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation” to help airlines consolidate and work together to eliminate emissions by 2050. Ahead of the election, Whittlesea and 17 other aviation experts came together to launch FACTS: A Framework for an Australian Clean Transport Strategy with the intention of supporting overseas initiatives. They hope that by introducing clearer targets, plans and subsidies, Australia will be able to accelerate the decarbonisation of its transport networks.

Currently, the National Hydrogen Strategy focuses heavily on creating a viable hydrogen export industry, but makes little mention of aircraft or transportation. Stralis and Skytrans hope the success of their project will show possibilities in space and strengthen a new advanced manufacturing capability in Australia.

“Queensland is expanding its capacity to produce green hydrogen, ‘Bottled Sunshine’, from local wind and solar resources. Stralis will leverage this to help companies like Skytrans continue to offer affordable air travel as the world moves to net zero,” said Johnstone.

“This could be a win for the Queensland industry and [could] support their efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy.”

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus last year announced its plans for hydrogen-powered zero-emission commercial aircraft that could be in the air by 2035.

It released three different aircraft concepts, including a 200-passenger jet capable of flying more than 2,000 nautical miles, a turboprop design capable of carrying up to 100 passengers for 1,000 nautical miles on short-haul flights, and a blended wing design.

Other manufacturers have also pledged hydrogen-powered aircraft, including Aviation H2, another Australian company, and Connect Airlines.

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