Federal Transport Minister praised the H2Sky consortium project as a major step on the path to a hydrogen-based aviation at a closing event on 26 March 2026 in Dettingen an der Erms. Under the consortium leadership of Aerostack GmbH, a fuel cell stack was developed specifically for aviation use and successfully demonstrated.
Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder: “Climate-friendly mobility will be successful where the power of innovation and competitiveness go hand in hand. Hydrogen will play a key role here in aviation. Projects like H2Sky impressively demonstrate that the ‘Made in Germany’ spirit of invention and technology lead directly to progress towards low-emission aviation.”
H2Sky was funded under the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP) in the amount of around 26.5 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV) and is one of the most comprehensive projects on the development of hydrogen-based fuel cell technologies for aviation in Germany. The goal of the project was the development of a fuel cell stack suitable for aviation, taking into consideration high-level aviation requirements with regard to power density, efficiency, reliability and service life. The NIP is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
Dagmar Fehler, CEO and Spokesperson of NOW GmbH: “On behalf of the federal government, we support projects from the research phase right up to the brink of implementation. H2Sky is one of our best examples of how impact-oriented funding strengthens partnerships, addresses development risks and creates the conditions needed for technological development to become marketable solutions.”
The project was implemented by a consortium under the leadership of Aerostack GmbH. Additional partners are EKPO Fuel cell Technologies GmbH, Hahn-Schickard, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the Technical University of Munich, the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg as well as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.
Dr. Torsten Stengel, CEO of Aerostack GmbH: “In the H2Sky project, we can continue to develop fuel cell technology in a targeted way for the specific requirements of aviation and significantly increase their technological maturity. The results form a solid foundation for further development steps in order to prepare the technology for market readiness.”
Aerostack GmbH is a joint venture of Airbus and Elring Kinger for the development and commercialisation of fuel cells for civil aviation.
Projects like H2Sky lay the groundwork for developing measures for the systematic establishment of a technological and industrial basis for climate-friendly propulsion solutions in aviation. Using hydrogen and fuel cell technology in aviation is regarded as having considerable potential in the medium- to long-term for the decarbonisation of the transport sector.
Images: Gaby Höss/Airbus Aerostack GmbH
