ATR Will ‘Piggyback’ on Airbus for Hydrogen-fuel Technology

Franco-Italian airframer ATR will assess hydrogen to power its turboprops, but it cautions the fuel might not be a feasible solution for most customers.

Some 25 airframes now populate ATR's assembly line, including ATR 72Fs for FedEx. (Photo: Cathy Buyck)

By Cathy Buyck • Contributor - Europe

September 27, 2021

ATR will consider hydrogen fuel as part of its drive to improve the environmental performance of its regional airliners, though it will rely on shareholders Airbus and Leonardo to research and develop the technology. “We will be 'piggybacking on our big shareholders,” ATR CEO Stefano Bortoli said during a briefing at the turboprop manufacturer’s Toulouse headquarters. “We are very pragmatic. We are a company with a staff of 1,200; we do not have 1,000 engineers to dedicate to R&D; we do not have the big labs or large test rigs,” he explained. ATR will consider “every” technology, including hybrid-electric, that reduces CO₂ emissions and integrate it onto its platform, as long as it proves “available and affordable,” Bertoli insisted.

Under a project called ZEROe, Airbus has begun developing three concepts for a zero-emission, hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft that could enter service by 2035. One of the designs centers on a twin-turboprop powered by hydrogen combustion in modified gas-turbine engines that could seat up to 100 passengers and fly to a projected range of up to around 1,000 nm.

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