Hydrogen plane sets world record, can fly higher than 2,000 m

The German-based startup's four-seater hydrogen plane has set a world record for altitude and was able to complete the first flight between two commercial airports.

Specifically, H2FLY, an aviation startup based in Stuttgart (Germany), announced that its HY4 aircraft flew to an altitude of 2,203 m, thereby setting a world record for altitude with a fuel cell flight. hydrogen. The flight route is 124 km long, departing from Stuttgart and ending at Friedrichshafen on April 12. This is also the first time this special aircraft has been tested to move between two commercial airports.

'This is a remarkable achievement for H2FLY because no passenger hydrogen aircraft has operated between the two commercial airports to date. We also believe we have set a new world record by reaching an altitude of more than 2,000 meters with the HY4," said Professor Josef Kallo, co-founder and CEO of H2FLY.

According to Claus-Dieter Wehr, chief executive officer of Friedrichshafen Airport, this is the first time in the airport's more than one hundred year history that a hydrogen plane has landed on the runway. "We are delighted to be able to contribute to the development and testing of hydro-electric propulsion," he said.

The HY4 is a four-seater aircraft powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen and is converted into electricity and water. So the only waste is water, which is not as harmful as the carbon emissions of traditional aviation.

H2FLY was founded in 2015 by 5 engineers at the German Aerospace Center and the University of Ulm. The main objective of the company is to bring to the market a fully qualified hydro-electric aircraft powertrain system. First, help operate zero-emission flights.

The H2FLY side said that the HY4 became the world's first hydrogen-electric passenger plane when it first took off in 2016. The founders believe the hydro-electric plane will carry 40 passengers more than over a distance of 2,000 km in the next few years.

Airbus is also aiming to equip the giant A380 with a hydrogen powertrain to test the technology. Airbus and H2FLY are contributing to the aviation industry's joint effort to reduce carbon emissions. It is known that the aviation industry currently accounts for about 2% of total emissions in the world.

Phan Anh