Renewable hydrogen is central for aviation’s transition towards climate neutrality. Using pure hydrogen fuel means radical system changes and its climate benefits will not fully unfold until the second half of the century. Still, our latest studies show that a hydrogen-based scenario offers greater opportunities in the long term than one purely driven by sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs). This is true for both climate impact and overall social cost. To make this happen, completely new and ultra-efficient aircraft and propulsion systems are needed. Meanwhile, green hydrogen production needs to be scaled up rapidly. In the shorter term, it will be required as a key feedstock for synthetic SAFs.
