Hydrogen-powered flight and Universal Hydrogen take a step nearer certification

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has recently accepted Universal Hydrogen’s application for a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion of ATR 72 regional airliners powered by the company’s patented liquid hydrogen modules and a fuel cell-electric propulsion system. This is an important milestone along Universal Hydrogen’s path to put into passenger service regional airplanes which have been converted to fly on hydrogen. In addition, the FAA has also issued the G-1 Issue Paper, which is a key document that is critical to establishing the certification criteria, including tailoring of applicable airworthiness and environmental standards, required by the FAA to ultimately certify the Universal Hydrogen design for ATR 72 conversion to hydrogen power.

“For something as novel as hydrogen-powered airplanes, establishing the certification basis is a critically important milestone in the certification process,” said Carl Burleson, former Acting Deputy Administrator of the FAA and an advisor to Universal Hydrogen. “This is the culmination of nearly two years of effort between Universal Hydrogen and the FAA on this trailblazing project, which represents a key part of the solution set to help address the aviation industry’s commitment to a zero-carbon future.”

Together with the FAA, Universal Hydrogen is working towards finalising the full set of certification requirements in the coming months. The company, which flew a hydrogen-powered regional airplane—the world’s largest—earlier this year, has set out on an ambitious ground and flight test campaign to produce all the necessary data to demonstrate compliance with the airworthiness and safety standards required for passenger aviation.

“I believe we have an important industry first here, and we appreciate our responsibility to ensure that the airworthiness certification criteria that are established set a positive precedent for the rest of the nascent hydrogen aviation industry,” said Mark Cousin, President and CTO of Universal Hydrogen.