Sources Say Airbus Is Favoring Turboprop Model for First Hydrogen Plane Written 12 February 2021

Bloomberg reports that a “turboprop design is gaining momentum within Airbus SE as the solution to its challenge of developing a hydrogen jet by 2035, according to people familiar with the matter.” The “propeller plane would carry around 100 passengers for about 1,000 nautical miles.” The “other two designs are for a 200-seat blended wing, which Airbus has already said it’s unlikely to pursue first due to the challenges of certification, and a more-familiar-looking turbofan approach, which could fly more than 2,000 nautical miles – about two-thirds as far as the company’s mainstay A320 single-aisle jets.” A turboprop plane “would address a smaller market – it could make most hops between European cities, for example, but not fly trans-Atlantic routes or coast-to-coast in the U.S. That makes it less of a threat to conventional jets that go farther and faster.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)