Australian start-up plans to build hydrogen-fueled plane within 18 months

Australian-owned and made hydrogen aviation company Aviation H2 has claimed this week that an Australian-made hydrogen-fuelled plane is as little as 18 months away, following the company’s decision to partner with a team of internationally renowned engineers.

The Sydney-based Aviation H2, which is owned by Australian investment company Liberty Energy Capital, has engaged an internationally respected team of engineers led by principal engineers Dr Helmut Mayer and Christof Mayer who have 60 years of combined experience in large-scale machine design for industrial purposes.

The brothers Mayer have several potential solutions for converting a traditional aircraft into a renewable model and say that a hydrogen-powered aircraft could be in the air within the next 17 months by modifying existing planes.

“We plan to execute on ideas we’ve been talking about for years,”  said Dr Mayer. “Our approach will be to demonstrate existing technology step-by-step and then to make an aircraft fly on carbon-free fuel.”

The Mayers-led team of engineers will conduct a series of tests to identify which conversion solution is best suited for powering an aircraft in a way that can be commercialised.

“The time has come to be serious about production, management and use of carbon-free fuels,” Dr Mayer said.

The newly launched company is backed by Liberty Energy Capital – which has also invested in numerous other hydrogen companies including Australian hydrogen vehicle manufacturer H2X Global.