Airbus teams in France and Germany have completed the company's first liquid hydrogen fuel tank prototype as part of an effort to mature technology for planned test flights with a partially hydrogen-powered demonstrator aircraft in 2026. The European airframer notes that the fuel tank prototype was built in the record time of just over a year, following the establishment of zero emission development centres (ZEDCs) at the company's sites in Nantes in France and Bremen, Germany, in 2021. Airbus subsequently established a ZEDC in Madrid, to develop composite-based liquid hydrogen fuel tanks, and involved an existing composite centre in Stade, near Hamburg, in Germany, in the effort. At Nantes, a facility which Airbus describes as a "reference shop" for aluminium structures, the team manufactured the storage tank capable of keeping hydrogen at -253°C. The Bremen ZEDC produced what Airbus terms a “coldbox” – ancillary systems to fill and ventilate the tank and distribute the hydrogen, via gasification. Experience with hydrogen at Bremen, through the site's involvement in space activities including the Ariane rocket, was a reason to locate the coldbox development there, Airbus notes. The fuel tank was designed at the airframer's Toulouse headquarters, while the Nantes and Bremen sites concentrated on the manufacturing. Airbus highlights its adoption of a "co-development approach" whereby prototype-building plays a central role in the design process. "Teams get straight into manufacturing a prototype, which they test and learn from before developing an improved prototype, rather than spending a lot of time working on theoretical plans," the airframer says. "It's a real testament to the teamwork across our sites to see this first tank being manufactured so quickly. The agile methodology has delivered a great prototype and will help drive improvements in future iterations," states Chris Redfern, head of manufacturing ZEROe aircraft and head of industrial architects propulsion systems. The first prototype fuel-tank is being tested with nitrogen, rather than hydrogen. But work is underway to build a second prototype that will be filled with hydrogen. Airbus says it has "plenty of feedback" from the initial specimen that will feed into the second, which will take a year to build. "We're looking in particular at maximising space, improving performance and simplifying the manufacturing process," the airframer says. It plans to build a total three prototypes for ground-tests, before a flyable systems will be developed. In February, Airbus and CFM International disclosed a plan to trial a hydrogen-powered demonstrator turbofan in flight tests onboard a modified A380 between 2026 and 2028. The project is part of Airbus's plan to develop a zero-emission aircraft for service entry in 2035.

IATA has welcomed Singapore Airlines Group's low-cost subsidiary Scoot as its newest member. As part of the IATA membership, Scoot will have the opportunity participate in member conferences that bring together international airline representatives, the carrier says. The membership also gives Scoot access to IATA training in areas such as aviation safety and security, operational efficiency and excellence, sustainability, as well as programmes strengthening the capabilities of aviation industry professionals. The IATA membership is open to airlines operating scheduled and non-scheduled air services. IATA's website indicates that it has added 15 airlines members in 2022.

Europe's regulators for aviation and the railways have signed a memorandum of co-operation to establish a "regular structured dialogue" to improve information-sharing between the two sectors. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency says collaboration with the European Union Agency for Railways will cover three core areas: the European co-ordination centre for accident and incident reporting systems (ECCAIRS); big data; and sustainability. The agencies highlight their interest in promoting "a high level of aviation and railway safety and environmental protection in Europe" and "a high level of efficiency of the aviation and railway systems". They note: "In order to ensure an efficient operation and interoperability of the European aviation and railway safety systems, it is necessary to combine technical and scientific resources at a European level in order to establish a more harmonised regulatory system, exchange expertise, and ensure resilience." The accord spans an objective to strengthen co-operation in aviation and railway research and innovation, and to identify "synergies in using similar systems, platforms and methodologies". EASA is to assist its rail counterpart in the development of a joint information-sharing system based on its own experience with ECCAIRS in the aviation sector. This is intended to have the effect of "maximising the benefits of a multimodal approach to the sharing of safety-related information". In big data, the agencies will establish a "mobility data space" to provide a "structure for data sharing" and support the "overall objective of the digital transformation of the transport and mobility sector". The two regulators also foresee sharing data-science resources and datasets such as weather data and satellite traffic observations. In the area of sustainability, the agencies will jointly provide technical expertise to the EU Commission for potential regulatory action regarding multimodal transport and harmonised measurement of transport and logistics emissions. EASA's environmental-labelling programme for aviation will form the basis of a "consistent system to make transport modes comparable", the agencies envision. Also on the agenda is an impact analysis of electrification of different transport modes and use of alternative energy sources such as hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Furthermore, the agencies see room for collaboration in the development of safety requirements for hydrogen-powered trains, aircraft and ground infrastructure. They have agreed to meet again within a year, at EASA's headquarters in the German city of Cologne, to review progress.