The aircraft is being designed to carry 279 passengers at the same speed and comfort as today’s airliners. Its 54m wingspan carries two turbofan engines powered by hydrogen combustion. The liquid hydrogen fuel is stored in cryogenic fuel tanks at around -250°C in the aft fuselage and two small tanks along the forward fuselage. These smaller tanks also help keep the aircraft balanced as the fuel burns off, eliminating the need for additional aerodynamic structures.
The design has a range of 5250NM, meaning that it could fly from London to San Francisco, Delhi, Beijing, Vancouver, Mexico City, or Rio de Janeiro without stopping, or to Auckland, Sydney, or Honolulu with just one stop to refuel. This would allow a network of long-range journeys to be established without demanding new hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at so many international airports.
When hydrogen is consumed in a fuel cell, the only by-product is water, making it the focus of much R&D...