Spanish Airline Air Nostrum Plans to Use H2-Powered Turboprops

Spanish regional airline Air Nostrum, headquartered in Valencia, has decided to convert its turboprop aircrafts to a hydrogen-driven configuration. The airline has signed a letter of intent with Universal Hydrogen, the company fueling carbon-free flight, to reduce aviation’s contribution to global carbon emissions.

Under the agreement, Air Nostrum will purchase eleven of Universal Hydrogen’s turboprop conversion kits for use across its existing and future fleet. These kits encompass a hydrogen fuel cell and electric motor that replaces the aircraft’s existing turboprop engine. They also provide for compatibility with Universal Hydrogen’s modular hydrogen capsule technology that allows for the delivery of hydrogen to any airport without any purpose-built infrastructure.

Alongside the aircraft conversions, Universal Hydrogen will become Air Nostrum’s long-term green hydrogen service provider. The conversion of Air Nostrum’s turboprop fleet to a Universal Hydrogen-powered, zero-carbon configuration will be concluded after an operational evaluation of the design and performance. The aircrafts are expected to have equivalent or better unit economics compared to the existing fleet.

“We are thrilled by this flagship partnership with Air Nostrum to help decarbonize their fleet,” said Paul Eremenko, co-founder and CEO of Universal Hydrogen. “This bold step puts them in the vanguard of European regional airlines in taking meaningful action to reach true zero emissions.”

“Each day, our airline explores innovative solutions to provide a travel experience with minimal adverse impact on the environment,” says Carlos Bertomeu, President and CEO of Air Nostrum. “This partnership represents a unique opportunity to advance on the decarbonization of our flight operations with the practical and cost-effective application of green hydrogen fuel.”

In other news about H2-powered aviation, a collaboration between aircraft services provider Lufthansa Technik, the City of Hamburg and other German partners was announced earlier this month, which plans to modify an Airbus A320 to test maintenance and ground-handling procedures for liquid hydrogen-powered aircrafts.