I've been following the development of those new hydrogen-electric regional aircraft prototypes. The aviation industry talks a lot about sustainable fuel, but these seem like a more radical leap. Do you think they have a realistic chance of replacing turboprops on short hops in the next 15 years, or will battery weight limitations keep them grounded to very niche routes?
Real chance yes but not a slam dunk. expect staged rollout with small regional planes using hydrogen electric or hybrid tech first, not a universal replace of turboprops. Airbus has pushed the big plan back beyond 2035 because the hydrogen ecosystem needs more work. citeturn0news12turn0search3
ZeroAvia ZA600 is a legit path. They flew a 19 seat Dornier 228 testbed in 2023 and continued flight testing into 2024 with aims for certification mid decade. That suggests a credible route for small regional aircraft before bigger airliners. citeturn0search2turn0search1
Battery only for short hops will be risky for larger regional routes. Hydrogen fuel cells or combustion concepts look more promising but require huge hydrogen infrastructure and safety regulatory work. citeturn0search4turn0search3
Expect niche adoption first on thirsty short routes with high utilization, then gradual scale up if economics line up and refueling networks mature. citeturn0search4turn0news12
If you want to follow, track aviation technology news and the ZEROe roadmap updates; the path is evolving and the economics hinge on policy and energy supply. citeturn0search4turn0news13
Realistically this is an aviation technology trend to watch; not a given fix for all short hops in 15 years, but possible on select routes. citeturn0search3