Could Birmingham Become London’s New Runway?
There is no doubt, that London needs an extra runway. But could it be at Heathrow or Gatwick? Or even Birmingham?
London’s Current Runways
These are London’s current runways.
- City – 09/27 – 1508 metres
- Gatwick North – 08L/26R – 2565 metres
- Gatwick South – 08R/26L – 3316 metres
- Heathrow North – 09L/27R – 3902 metres
- Heathrow South – 09R/27L – 3660 metres
- Luton – 07/25 – 2162 metres
- Southend – 05/23 – 1856 metres
- Stansted – 04/22 – 3049 metres
Note.
- Gatwick’s runways are currently too close together, to be used at the same time.
- Heathrow’s runways are the longest that serve London.
- There are eight runways in total.
I’ve landed aircraft on the runwy at Luton, Southend and Stansted.
How Does Birmingham Airport Compare?
Consider.
- Birmingham’s runway is 15/33 and 3052 metres long.
- Birmingham Airport will be connected to High Speed Two, if and when that opens as predicted in 2036-2039.
- A journey from London will take less than 50 minutes.
It could be an alternative runway with good connections to the capital.
What Do Airlines Think About Birmingham Airport?
I asked Google AI and received this answer.
Airlines view Birmingham Airport (BHX) as an important, high-potential regional base in the UK, though operational and infrastructure pressures have caused friction.
Strong Commercial & Operational Appeal
Major Operating Base: BHX serves as a primary operating base for major low-cost and leisure carriers, including Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2.com, and TUI Airways.
Expanding Network: Airlines continue to support and grow routes out of Birmingham. Recent additions include carriers like Qatar Airways (to Doha), Saudia (to Jeddah), and Pegasus Airlines (to Istanbul), along with active targeting of new long-haul and unserved European markets.
Growth Ambitions: The airport has a £300 million investment schedule over the next decade to scale up to 18 million passengers by 2033, backed by strong local economic demand from the West Midlands corporate and leisure markets.
Operational Strain & Baggage/Capacity Issues
Baggage & Infrastructure Failures: Airlines operating out of BHX faced severe challenges during peak travel periods (such as summer 2026), when overwhelmed baggage handling systems forced airports and airlines to make the difficult trade-off of prioritizing strict flight slots and departures over loading passenger luggage—leaving hundreds of travelers flying without bags.
Mitigation Measures: To cope with heavy peak and holiday queues (such as security delays and check-in bottlenecks), airlines like easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, and TUI have heavily promoted day-before bag drop options at BHX to ease terminal congestion.
There is nothing there that can’t be fixed.
Is Birmingham Airport A Good Neighbour?
I asked Google AI and received this answer.
Whether Birmingham Airport is considered a “good neighbour” depends heavily on whether you weigh its economic benefits to the West Midlands against the localized noise, environmental, and disruption impacts experienced by nearby communities.
The Case for the Airport (Economic and Regional Value)
Job Creation and Economy: Business groups and regional leaders view Birmingham Airport (BHX) as a vital engine for the Midlands, directly and indirectly supporting thousands of jobs and contributing billions to the regional economy.
Draft Master Plan (2026–2041): The airport has unveiled a £2 billion draft master plan aimed at doubling passenger capacity to roughly 30 million a year by making better use of its existing single runway rather than building a second one.
Public Consultations: The airport conducts public engagement sessions and highlights its investments in local community trusts and regional workforce programs (such as in East Birmingham and North Solihull).
The Complaints from Local Neighbours (Noise and Disturbance)
Aircraft Noise: Residents living directly under or near flight paths—in villages and suburbs like Bickenhill, Marston Green, Sheldon, and Elmdon—frequently report stress, sleep disruption, and noise pollution from early-morning and night-time flights.
Night Flights and Caps: Tensions regularly flare over night-flying limits. While the airport maintains that it operates within permitted statutory limits and transitions toward quieter aircraft, local action groups argue that expanded night-flight allowances and increased traffic degrade local quality of life.
Surface Access and Local Infrastructure: Increased road traffic, parking spillover, and drop-off charges remain a persistent point of friction for nearby towns and drivers.
Note.
- Birmingham Airport can be expanded by making better use of the single runway.
- I believe that by 2040, there will be zero-carbon 70 seat airliners, that will have a range of a thousand kilometres.
- For distances longer than a thousand kilometres, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will be used.
- Birmingham Airport also needs to be connected to the West Midlands Metro.
Flight Distances From Birmingham Airport
These are distances to various airports in kilometres.
- Aberdeen – 329 km.
- Amsterdam – 529 km.
- Belfast George Best – 363 km.
- City of Derry – 457 km.
- Cork – 465 km
- Dublin – 320 km.
- Dusseldorf – 597 km.
- Edinburgh – 402 km.
- Geneva – 894 km.
- Glasgow – 418 km.
- Hamburg – 795 km.
- Hannover – 774 km.
- Inverness – 585 km.
- Kirkwall – 727 km.
- Munich – 1059 km.
- Newcastle – 287 km.
- Newquay – 318 km.
- Nice – 1181 km.
- Paris Charles de Galle – 488 km.
- Sumburgh – 826 km.
The energy revolution in aviation, could be starting in Birmingham.
When Will The Third Runway At Heathrow Be Finished?
Estimates vary, but I reckon, it will be 2040 before the third runway opens.
The Wikipedia entry for the Expansion of Heathrow Airport says this.
On 16 December 2020, the UK Supreme Court lifted the ban on the third runway, allowing a planning application via a Development Consent Order to go ahead. The plan stalled in 2023 after post-COVID pandemic falling passenger numbers and concerns about investment costs, but as of June 2024 the third runway is still planned with a projected completion date around 2040. In January 2025, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves confirmed it was the new Labour government’s plan to proceed with a third runway within the current parliamentary term.
If it is 2040, then it is likely that High Speed Two will be open to Birmingham Airport before Heathrow’s Third Runway is completed..
EasyJet’s New Slimline Seats Will Offer 2 Inches More Legroom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The Kestrel seat’s thinner design promises improved knee and shin clearance. Could the ‘fixed recline’ feature also lead to fewer spats over space?
These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
As budget airlines try to squeeze more and more passengers onto flights, it can feel as though the seat in front gets slightly closer every time you step on a plane.
But a “next generation” economy seat is coming, which its makers say will give travellers extra legroom with no loss of space for airlines.
The Kestrel seat from Mirus Aircraft Seating, a British manufacturer, will be installed from 2028 on hundreds of easyJet’s new aircraft, providing an extra two inches of “improved knee and shin clearance” for passengers.
Hopefully easyJet’s passengers will be sitting more comfortably.
Hydrogen In Aviation Offers Potential For Growth And Deeper Emissions Reductions, New Study Shows
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
These five paragraphs compose the press release.
Rolls-Royce, easyJet, Heathrow and University College London Air Transportation Systems Lab (UCL ATSLab) published a report highlighting how hydrogen-powered aircraft could enable European and UK aviation to cut carbon emissions while supporting future growth.
The study, Enabling Hydrogen in the European Aviation Market, found that hydrogen in aviation offers a unique opportunity to achieve both emissions reduction and market expansion. The analysis shows that introducing hydrogen alongside Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can accelerate progress towards net zero, particularly when policy incentives reward low-carbon fuels and if hydrogen were to be included within the EU’s SAF mandate.
The research also found that targeted hydrogen infrastructure at around 20 major European airports, including Heathrow, could deliver more than 80% of the emissions benefits of full hydrogen availability across the continent. Concentrating investment at key ‘hydrogen hubs’ would therefore provide a practical and cost-effective path to early adoption.
Further modelling indicates that the earlier novel technologies, such as hydrogen, can be introduced, the more opportunity they present for CO2 emission reductions, underscoring the value of early technological transition where it is financially and technically viable.
The study is underpinned by UCL ATSLab’s Airline Behaviour Model (ABM), which represents the complexity of airline decision-making through specific behavioural variables. Building on this, the research evaluates how fuel costs, incentives and new technologies shape airline responses. This provides a research-based, realistic picture of how hydrogen adoption could evolve, highlighting both opportunities and potential challenges for adoption.
Note, these two sentences recommending early adoption of hydrogen.
- Concentrating investment at key ‘hydrogen hubs’ would therefore provide a practical and cost-effective path to early adoption.
- Further modelling indicates that the earlier novel technologies, such as hydrogen, can be introduced, the more opportunity they present for CO2 emission reductions.
I also suspect, that introducing hydrogen early, feeds back to reduce Co2 emissions.
But what is Trump’s considered view on hydrogen aircraft?
Google AI gives this answer to my question.
Donald Trump’s view on hydrogen for transportation, including potential use in aircraft, is highly skeptical due to perceived safety risks and effectiveness concerns, which generally aligns with his broader opposition to green energy initiatives. He has specifically criticized hydrogen-powered vehicles as being dangerous and “prone to blowing up”.
Note.
- I used to work in a hydrogen factory and it’s still producing hydrogen.
- I doubt Trump gets on well with Jennifer Rumsey, who is CEO of Cummins, who are one of the world’s largest diesel-engine companies, who are following a zero-carbon route.
- Is Formula One Likely To Go To Hydrogen Fuel? This would set the Cat Among The Pigeons
I also feel that this University College London study will create a string of converts to hydrogen.
DfT Objects To Eight Open Access Applications
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the March 2025 Edition of Modern Railways.
Surprise! Suprise! There are no prizes for innovation and risk, to be given out by Starmer’s Government Of All The Lawyers.
- Alliance Rail – Cardiff and Edinburgh – opposed
- Grand Central – London and York – opposed
- Hull Trains – London and Hull – opposed
- Hull Trains – London and Sheffield – opposed
- Lumo – London and Glasgow – opposed
- Lumo – London and Rochdale – opposed
- Virgin Trains – London and Liverpool – opposed
- Virgin Trains – London and Glasgow – opposed
Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway – London and Wrexham – supported.
Splitting And Joining Of Trains
Several of the objections, seem to be on grounds of capacity.
So why not pair up some services and split and join at a convenient station?
Hull Trains – A Hull and a Sheffield service could start together in London and split in Retford.
Lumo – A Newcastle and an Edinburgh service could start together in London and split in Newcastle.
Lumo – An Edinburgh and a Glasgow service could start together in London and split in Edinburgh.
Virgin Trains – A Liverpool and a Glasgow service would start together in London and split in Crewe.
A Bad Decision
I believe the Government’s decision is a very bad one.
At the weekend I wrote Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus, about my trip in a hydrogen-powered bus to Gatwick-Airport.
- The quality, performance and roadholding of this new zero-carbon bus was superb.
- I can’t wait to try out Wrightbus’s new hydrogen-powered coach in the next twelve months.
- In the future, I can see high speed hydrogen coaches steaming along the motorways of the UK and Ireland.
Hydrogen-powered coaches will do for cheap travel on the roads of these islands, what Ryanair and easyJet for did above our heads.
Paris – Berlin Direct High Speed Train Service Launched
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Railway Gazette.
This was the sub-heading.
A daily high speed train service linking Paris Est and Berlin Hbf was launched on December 16.
These four paragraphs outline a few details of the service.
It is operated through the Alleo partnership of SNCF Voyageurs and DB, with both French and German onboard staff and using DB Class 407 Velaro D trainsets built by Siemens Mobility.
The journey time is just over 8 h, using high speed lines from Paris to Strasbourg and from Frankfurt to Berlin, and calling at Strasbourg, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt Süd and Berlin-Spandau.
The service is targeted at both leisure and business travellers, with the operators highlighting the environmental benefits of the rail journey producing 2 kg of CO2, compared to 200 kg when flying.
Fares start at €59·99 in standard class and €69·99 in first.
Those prices seem good value.
I have just looked up going on the direct trains from Paris to Berlin on 19th Feb and coming back on the 21st.
These were the two trains.
- Paris Est – Berlin HBf 19th Feb – 09:55-18:03 – 8:08 – £52:00
- Berlin HBf – Paris Est 21st Feb – 11:54 – 20:00 – 8:06 – £86:50
Note.
- Why is it cheaper to go to the East?
- The Berlin HBf – Paris Est should allow you to catch a late Eurostar to London.
- easyJet could get you fast and affordably between Gatwick and Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
- Lumo can get you between London and Edinburgh for under £25:00.
New train services are opening up interesting trips.
Consider.
- I’ve not been to Berlin by train except from the East.
- I’ve not been to the new Brandenburg Airport.
- I’ve not done an eight-hour East-West daytime train trip across Europe.
- I want to look at Karlruhe and Chemnitz, and their new tram-trains.
I might organise my trip like this.
- Eurostar from London to Brussels
- Train from Brussels to Karlsruhe
- Overnight in Karlsruhe
- Train from Karlsruhe to Chemnitz
- Overnight in Chemnitz
- Train from Chemnitz to Berlin
- Overnight in Berlin
- Train from Berlin to Paris
- Walk between Paris Est and Paris Nord
- Eurostar from Paris to London
Note.
- I’ve done London to Karlsruhe in a day via Brussels.
- There will be three nights in hotels.
- It should be possible to do Berlin and London via Paris in a day.
I think I’ll at least plan it.
Are LNER Going To Take On The Airlines?
Nine years ago, I wrote Edinburgh – Plane Or Train?, after a trip to Scotland, where I took easyJet up and came back in First Class by train.
- Both trips were about five hours door-to-door.
- The flight was about six quid more,
- But I got free food and drink on the train.
- Security on the plane was a pain.
- I had to take my passport for identification at Stansted.
I haven’t flown internally in Great Britain since, although, I have flown to Belfast.
For shorter flights the market is going towards rail, as these posts seem to suggest.
- 2.7M Tonnes Of Co2 Could Be Saved Per Year If UK Domestic Flights Went Electric
- Air Travellers To Be Hit By Carbon Charge On All Tickets
- Climate Change ‘May Curb Growth In UK Flying’
- France Bans Short-Haul Flights To Cut Carbon Emissions
- KLM Replaces Plane With High Speed Train
- Lumo Carbon Data Shows Its Trains Are 22 Times Greener Than Flying
- Next Time I’ll Go By Train
- Ryanair One Of Europe’s Top Polluters, EU Data Suggests
- Stop Taking Internal Flights And Go Green, Says Lib Dem Contender Davey
The climate seems to be turning against flying short-haul.
This is a paragraph, in this press release from LNER, which is entitled First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line.
This new fleet of trains will keep LNER on track to reduce its emissions by 67 per cent by 2035 and be net zero by 2045. LNER has already reduced carbon emissions by 50 per cent compared with 2018/19. Per mile, LNER trains produce 15 times less carbon emissions than a domestic flight.
Are LNER building a number of climate-based sticks, with which to beat the airlines on the routes, where they compete?
These are my thoughts on the various routes, where LNER compete with airlines.
Newcastle
Newcastle is an interesting one.
- Newcastle station is in the city centre and is on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
- London King’s Cross is one of London’s major Underground hubs.
- There are lots of buses and local trains within walking distance of both stations.
- There are three trains every two hours and an additional eight trains per day (tpd) between the two London King’s Cross and Newcastle stations.
- Lumo also run five tpd on the route.
- There are generally no security delays at rail stations.
- London King’s Cross is laid out to maximise passenger flows. If it gets busy, everybody just walks out into King’s Cross Square.
- I’ve never had a problem at Newcastle station with overcrowding.
Perhaps, if you live near one of the airports, flying is more convenient.
LNER’s weapons against the airlines between London King’s Cross and Newcastle will be convenience and journey times.
Convenience is all about the location of the stations, their excellent local transport networks and good walking routes around the station.
Journey times will only get better, as the magic of digital in-cab signalling, allows the Azumas, the new CAF tri-mode long distance trains and the few remaining InterCity 225s to show what they were designed to do.
Dalton-on-Tees, where the first phase of the digitally signalling will end, is 39.8 miles South of Newcastle, so once the Newcastle train is passes Dalton-on-Tees on the East Coast Main Line, it will be a digital-signalled electrified railway all the way to Woolmer Green.
- Dalton-on-Tees is 39.8 miles South of Newcastle
- Woolmer Green is 244.8 miles South of Newcastle.
- Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green is 205 miles.
- Newcastle and Dalton-on-Tees takes 37 minutes.
- Woolmer Green and King’s Cross takes 18 minutes
- Trains take typically an average three hours and nine minutes between London and Newcastle.
- A typical train time by LNER between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green is two hours and 14 minutes.
- This is an average speed of 91.8 mph between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
- Between London King’s Cross and Newcastle is fully-electrified.
I can build a table of timings and savings at various average speeds.
- 120 mph – 103 minutes – two hours and 38 minutes – 31 minutes
- 125 mph – 98 minutes – two hours and 33 minutes – 36 minutes
- 130 mph – 95 minutes – two hours and 30 minutes – 39 minutes
- 135 mph – 91 minutes – two hours and 26 minutes – 43 minutes
- 140 mph – 88 minutes – two hours and 23 minutes – 46 minutes
Note.
- The first field is the average speed between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
- The second field is the time between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
- The third field is the time between London and Newcastle.
- The fourth field is the saving over current timings.
- The London and Newcastle time is calculated by adding the times for the three sections together.
I have regularly timed trains at a very constant 125 mph, so with digital signalling, I suspect an average of 130 mph is possible.
This would mean, times of a few minutes under two hours and thirty minutes could be possible between London and Newcastle.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh builds on the improvements South of Newcastle.
Edinburgh station Waverley is a well-connected station.
- There are lots of buses, local trains and the Edinburgh Tram within walking distance of Edinburgh Waverley station.
- There are three trains every two hours and an additional seven tpd between the London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley stations.
- Lumo also run five tpd on the route.
- Trains take typically an average four hours and thirty minutes between London and Edinburgh Waverley.
- Any savings because of the digital in-cab signalling between London and Newcastle can be applied to London and Edinburgh Waverley services.
As my calculations showed that averaging 130 mph between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green could save 39 minutes on journey times, I am fairly sure than a sub-four hour journey time will be possible between London and Edinburgh Waverley.
It should also be noted that that the power supply has been improved between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
- The distance between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley is 124.2 miles
- Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley takes around one hour and 30 minutes.
- This is an average speed of 82.8 mph between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
- Between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley is fully-electrified.
As the record time for between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley was set by an InterCity225 train in 1993 at three hours and twenty-nine minutes, I suspect that with more digital signalling and some track improvements, that there are more journey time improvements to be squeezed out.
I certainly believe that a time of three hours and fifty minutes between London and Edinburgh Waverley will be regularly achieved. This is a journey time saving of around forty minutes.
Dundee
Dundee has an airport and a station on the East Coast Main Line.
Trains between London King’s Cross and Dundee take around five hours and 45 minutes.
LNER run three trains per day to and from London King’s Cross and one tpd to and from Leeds.
CrossCountry also run services.
Loganair has two flights per day to Heathrow.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen builds on the improvements South of Edinburgh.
The four direct tpd between London and Aberdeen take around seven hours and ten minutes.
This should come down to around six hours and thirty minutes with the journey time savings between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley.
Will this tempt travellers from the airlines?
Battery-Electric Trains To Dundee And Aberdeen
One thing that will help, is that Edinburgh and Aberdeen is to be partially electrified.
InPiling Work To Get Underway To Electrify Line To Fife, I included this Network Rail map of the electrification.
This map has been downloaded from the Network Rail web site.
The electrification is split into four phases.
- Haymarket and Dalmeny – 25 km
- Kirkcaldy and Thornton North – 25 km.
- Lochgelly and Thornton North – 20 km.
- Thornton North and Ladybank – 34 km.
Note.
- The last three phases of electrification connect to Thornton North.
- The new rail link to Leven will also be electrified. and connected to Thornton North.
- The Forth Bridge is not to be electrified.
As Ladybank station is just 91.4 miles from Aberdeen, I suspect LNER will use Hitachi Intercity Battery Hybrid Trains to serve Aberdeen.
If these trains haven’t got the range, then I suspect LNER’s new CAF Tri-Mode Trains could handle the route.
Inverness
Inverness has a problem.
Zero-carbon trains will be unlikely to get to the city without full electrification of the Highland Main Line.
- Dunblane is the nearest electrified station to Inverness, but it is 146.2 miles away over a route with lots of steep climbs.
- I doubt that a battery-electric train could handle that route.
One solution would be for LNER to run the new CAF Tri-Mode Trains to Inverness using HVO or biodiesel.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the only other Scottish city with an airport and good rail connections to the South.
I am sure that Avanti West Coast will target airline passengers, if LNER prove it is a successful policy.
Other Factors
These are other factors, that will come into a traveller’s choice.
First Class
Some travellers like a bit more comfort and service.
Ability To Work
Some travellers like to work on a train.
You Don’t Get Tables On a Plane
I like to open a paper or magazine flat, which is difficult on a plane.
Views Tend To Be Better On a Train
Providing you get a window!
Parking Tends To Be Better At An Airport
But it may be more expensive!
Security Is Less Hassle On A Train
At the moment!
You Don’t Need To Prove Your Identity On A Train
Not in the UK! Yet!
Conclusion
It looks like LNER can offer the airlines to four of our major Northern cities serious zero-carbon competition.
Airbus, Rolls-Royce, EasyJet Headline Formation Of UK Hydrogen Alliance
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article from Future Flight.
These two paragraphs outline the story.
A group of leading companies in the UK aviation and renewable energy sectors including EasyJet, Rolls-Royce, and Airbus has established the Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance to accelerate the delivery of zero-carbon aviation, the companies said Tuesday. HIA, whose partners also include Ørsted, GKN Aerospace, and Bristol Airport, said decarbonization efforts involving hydrogen should assume more urgency at a time when sustainable aviation fuel and batteries have drawn so much of the sector’s attention.
Working with government, local authorities, and the aviation and hydrogen sectors, the group plans to draw on members’ expertise to propose “a clear and deliverable pathway” to achieving hydrogen-powered aviation. Efforts center on clearing a pathway for preparing the needed infrastructure as well as policy, regulatory, and safety frameworks.
This Airbus infographic describes the aircraft in Airbus’s ZEROe project.
Discover the three zero-emission concept aircraft known as ZEROe in this infographic. These turbofan, turboprop, and blended-wing-body configurations are all hydrogen hybrid aircraft.
These are my thoughts.
Do The ZEROe Turboprop And The ZEROe Turbofan Have Similar Hydrogen Systems?
This is Airbus’s summary of the design of the ZEROe Turboprop
Two hybrid-hydrogen turboprop engines, which drive eight-bladed propellers, provide thrust. The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system is located behind the rear pressure bulkhead
This screen capture taken from an Airbus video, shows a rear view of the plane.
Note the sizeable cone-shaped rear end to the fuselage with no windows.
This is Airbus’s summary of the design of the ZEROe Turbofan
Two hybrid hydrogen turbofan engines provide thrust. The liquid hydrogen storage and distribution system is located behind the rear pressure bulkhead.
This screen capture taken from an Airbus video, shows the plane.
Note how there are no windows at the back of the fuselage, as the hydrogen tank doesn’t need them.
It looks to me, that similar cone-shaped tanks for hydrogen, customised for each aircraft could be placed behind the rear bulkhead.
There would probably be space for any pumps needed to distribute the hydrogen to the engines.
All the stored hydrogen and its gubbins could be safely sealed behind the rear bulkhead.
I am fairly certain that the ZEROe Turboprop and the ZEROe Turbofan will have similar hydrogen systems.
Do The ZEROe Turboprop And The ZEROe Turbofan Have Auxiliary Power Units?
The auxiliary power unit or APU in an aircraft that provides energy for functions other than propulsion.
In Airbus To Trial In-flight Auxiliary Power Entirely Generated By Hydrogen, I wrote about Airbus’s development of APU’s based on fuel cells and running on hydrogen.
This surely could be a way to go.
- A battery could store power.
- Fuel cells are proving to be reliable.
- The plane would have two independent electrical systems.
Power would always be available for the cockpit, flying controls and to restart the engines, just as it is in any airliner today.
Do The ZEROe Turboprop And The ZEROe Turbofan Have The Same Cockpit?
The cockpits of the A 320 neo and the A 320 ceo seem to have a similar profile, but the cockpit of the ZEROe Turbofan seems to have been reprofiled.
In ZEROe – Towards The World’s First Zero-Emission Commercial Aircraft, I showed these front on views of the cockpits of the ZEROe Turboprop and ZEROe Turbofan.
I questioned if the two cockpits were related.
- A single cockpit for both aircraft would surely ease manufacture, maintenance and pilot training.
- I’m no aerodynamicist, but it certainly looks that the new cockpit will reduce drag and fuel consumption.
This common cockpit concept was used for the Boeing 757 and the Boeing 767 in the 1980s, so it is not a new concept.
Although the cockpit, appears to be being used in the ZEROe for the first time, I would expect it is already under development and might feature in any later version of the A 320 neo.
Do Airbus Have A Preferred Development Order?
Consider.
- My product development experience indicates that the development of the ZEROe Blended-Wing Body will involve more flight testing and aerodynamic checks than the other two aircraft, so I would make it the last aircraft to enter service.
- The ZEROe Turboprop appears to be a development of the ATR 72.
- The ZEROe Turbofan appears to be a development of an A 320 neo.
- The ZEROe Turboprop and ZEROe Turbofan would appear to have similar designs of cockpit, hydrogen systems and auxiliary power units.
- It looks to me that either of the ZEROe Turboprop or ZEROe Turbofan could be developed first.
I would develop the ZEROe Turboprop first, as it is the smaller aircraft.
Why Bristol Airport?
This page on the Airbus web site is entitled Airbus In The United Kingdom, where this is the first paragraph.
Building on a proud 100-year British aviation heritage, Airbus is part of the very fabric of the UK – which is one of the company’s four home markets, alongside France, Germany and Spain. Its 11,000-strong UK workforce is part of a global family of 125,000 employees.
This is said under Commercial Aircraft.
The sites at Filton and Broughton design, test and manufacture the wings for all Airbus’ A320 family, A330 and A350 commercial aircraft, directly sustaining more than 8,000 full-time jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships.
A220 family wings are designed and built by Spirit AeroSystems in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Broughton has a proud tradition of aerospace manufacturing dating back 80 years, having supplied the RAF with vital aircraft during the Second World War. Employing almost 5,000 people, Broughton is a global centre of excellence for manufacturing and delivers over 500 wing sets per year for the A320 family, A330 and A350. Airbus has invested more than £2 billion in the Broughton plant over the past 10 years.
Core activities at Filton, where an additional 3,000 people work, are the design, engineering and support for Airbus wings, fuel systems and landing gear systems. Teams also work on aerodynamics research, development and test facilities, including our future zero-emissions programme, ZEROe, while wings for the A400M transporter are assembled on site.
It would appear that Filton in Bristol, is a very important part of Airbus’s operations in the UK.
- It appears to have major responsibility for all Airbus wings except the smallest.
- It has a large responsibility with respect to the ZEROe family of aircraft.
- Filton Airfield is now closed.
- Filton can do substantial assembly if required.
So was it just a logical decision to phone up Bristol Airport and ask, if they’d like to join the project?
In addition.
- Bristol Airport has a 2000 metre East West asphalt runway.
- The airport can handle a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330.
- It is the eighth busiest airport in the UK.
- It is a busy general aviation airfield.
- There is plenty of electricity in the area and Hinckley Point C will open down the road in a couple of years.
Bristol Airport is probably typical of many provincial airports around the world.
Why EasyJet?
These paragraphs from the Future Flight article help to explain.
“There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a £34 billion per annum boost to the country’s economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now,” said Johan Lundgren, CEO of EasyJet and HIA’s first chairman.
“We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard-to-abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximize the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved.”
Under its Zero-E program, Airbus aims to bring to market the first hydrogen-powered narrowbody commercial airplane by 2035. Separately, a partnership between Rolls-Royce and EasyJet signed last year saw the companies test hydrogen fuel in gaseous form in an adapted AE2100-A turbine, the engine that powers the Saab 2000 regional airliner. The November 2022 test, which used hydrogen produced in the Orkney Islands by the European Marine Energy Centre using renewable energy, marked the first run of a modern engine using hydrogen.
EasyJet seems to be enthusiastic about hydrogen and their CEO will be the HIA’s first chairman.
EasyJet also has a series of routes from Bristol Airport.
- Alicante – 907 miles
- Amsterdam – 326 miles
- Athens – 1592 miles
- Antalya – 1981 miles
- Barcelona – 733 miles
- Basel/Mulhouse – 530 miles
- Belfast–City – 259 miles
- Belfast–International – 269 miles
- Berlin – 694 miles
- Bilbao – 559 miles
- Bodrum – 1772 miles
- Bordeaux – 462 miles
- Catania – 1295 miles
- Chania – 1719 miles
- Copenhagen – 694 miles
- Corfu – 1356 miles
- Dalaman – 1981 miles
- Dubrovnik – 1155 miles
- Edinburgh – 316 miles
- Enfidha – 1241 miles
- Faro – 1026 miles
- Fuerteventura – 1687 miles
- Funchal – 1473 miles
- Geneva – 536 miles
- Gibraltar – 1060 miles
- Glasgow – 317 miles
- Gran Canaria – 1749 miles
- Grenoble – 556 miles
- Heraklion – 1768 miles
- Hurghada – 2526 miles
- Ibiza – 887 miles
- Innsbruck – 693 miles
- Inverness – 429 miles
- Isle of Man – 203 miles
- Kefalonia – 1451 miles
- Kos – 1770 miles
- Kraków – 991 miles
- La Rochelle – 366 miles
- Lanzarote – 1649 miles
- Larnaca – 2126 miles
- Lisbon – 925 miles
- Lyon – 529 miles
- Madrid – 755 miles
- Málaga – 1020 miles
- Marrakesh – 1393 miles
- Marseille – 662 miles
- Menorca – 863 miles
- Milan–Malpensa – 682 miles
- Murcia – 945 miles
- Mykonos – 1670 miles
- Nantes – 251 miles
- Naples – 1085 miles
- Newcastle upon Tyne – 256 miles
- Nice – 704 miles
- Olbia – 929 miles
- Palma de Mallorca – 859 miles
- Paphos – 2087 miles
- Paris–Charles de Gaulle – 285 miles
- Paris–Orly – 290 miles
- Pisa – 808 miles
- Porto – 755 miles
- Prague – 746 miles
- Preveza/Lefkada – 1421 miles
- Pula – 885 miles
- Reykjavík–Keflavík – 1121 miles
- Rome–Fiumicino – 968 miles
- Rovaniemi – 1436 miles
- Salzburg – 745 miles
- Santorini – 1726 miles
- Sharm El Sheikh – 2507 miles
- Sofia – 1359 miles
- Split – 927 miles
- Tenerife–South – 1766 miles
- Toulouse – 569 miles
- Turin – 645 miles
- Venice – 798 miles
- Zakynthos – 1484 miles
Note.
- There are nine routes under 400 miles, which might enable a round trip without refuelling in a ZEROe Turboprop.
- There are nine routes under 800 miles, which might enable a round trip without refuelling in a ZEROe Turbofan.
- There are only four routes over 2000 miles, which might make a single trip difficult in a ZEROe Turbofan.
- Bristol and Toulouse is a convenient 569 miles for Airbus and its employees, customers and contractors.
It does appear that, EasyJet’s routes fit the 1000 mile range of a ZEROe Turboprop and the 2000 mile range of a ZEROe Turbofan exceedingly well.
Conclusion
Bristol will be important in the development of Airbus’s three ZEROe aircraft.
easyJet And Rolls-Royce Pioneer Hydrogen Energy Combustion Technology In H2ZERO Partnership
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
These three opening paragraphs outline the project.
easyJet and Rolls-Royce today announced a ground-breaking new partnership, H2ZERO, that will pioneer the development of hydrogen combustion engine technology capable of powering a range of aircraft, including those in the narrow-body market segment.
Both companies have committed to working together on a series of engine tests on the ground, starting later this year and have a shared ambition to take the technology into the air. The objective of the partnership is to demonstrate that hydrogen has the potential to power a range of aircraft from the mid-2030s onwards.
While Rolls-Royce will bring its expertise in engine development and combustion systems, easyJet will contribute its operational knowledge and experience to H2ZERO and will also directly invest in the test programme.
This to my mind is good news.
This paragraph gives details of some of the planned work.
Through H2ZERO, the companies will support an early concept ground test of a Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine in the UK later this year. This will be followed by a full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine – a range of location options are being assessed for this including the Rolls-Royce test facility in Mississippi, USA. The programme will build on initial hydrogen combustion and fuel system rig tests that Rolls-Royce is undertaking with both Cranfield and Loughborough universities.
Note.
- The Rolls-Royce AE 2100 engine, powers the Lockheed Super Hercules amongst others.
- Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 powers various business jets.
easyJet and Rolls-Royce certainly have ambitions, and as there is little about the route they are taking to decarbonise, I would assume, that the main purpose of the study, is to find the optimal route.
I have just found this paper on the German Aerospace Centre web site, which is entitled Assessment Of Hydrogen Fuel Tank Integration At
Aircraft Level.
It uses as a baseline aircraft, the Airbus A320neo, of which easyJet have a few!
I suspect that using some of the techniques outlined in this paper, Rolls-Royce could decarbonise an Airbus A320neo.