The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced the first companies selected to participate in the Hydrogen Challenge Sandbox, with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS), Exeter Airport Consortium and ZeroAvia to work closely with the regulator to increase industry and regulatory readiness of hydrogen fuel.
“The Hydrogen Challenge is key to helping both the sector and UK Civil Aviation Authority to better understand emerging hydrogen technologies and the regulatory steps to progress towards entry into service,” explained Tim Johnson, director of strategy and policy at the CAA.
The Challenge, launched in November 2023 and funded by the CAA’s Pioneer Fund, intends to help leverage the potential of hydrogen as a zero-carbon-emission aviation fuel. The consortium will also use the challenge to enable its members and the regulatory authority to ‘review and provide feedback on safety cases, test plans, and risk assessments and ultimately inform the development of guidance material and regulations for the future,’ adds the CAA.
“With the ever-increasing optimism around hydrogen as the fuel of the future for aviation, it is critical that there is good knowledge sharing between the regulator and industry in this nascent area,” said Paul Harper, director of airworthiness and certification at ZeroAvia.
UK CAA announces first companies for Hydrogen Challenge
