As aviation’s carbon intensity continues to rise, traditional approaches to propulsion and aircraft architecture are falling short.
Between 2000 and 2019, emissions from aviation increased by 53% and when considering the sector’s full impact on the atmosphere – not just carbon dioxide (CO₂) – it now accounts for about 3.5–4% of total climate change effects.
Accordingly, aviation must adopt propulsion technologies that can achieve zero direct emissions in flight to remain aligned with global climate objectives, without relying on combustion or fuel sources with significant lifecycle trade-offs – such as biofuels derived from palm oil or synthetic fuels produced using fossil-based electricity.
Beyond Aero believes hydrogen-electric propulsion, integrated from the ground up in a clean-sheet aircraft, represents the most technically viable pathway. Here we outline how this architecture can scale from business aviation to regional, and eventually commercial, markets by 2050.
Why hydrogen and not batteries or biofuels?
Jet fuel delivers approximately 12,000 Wh/kg of energy, vastly more than today’s best batteries, which achieve around 250 Wh/kg. This fundamental limitation currently restricts battery-electric aircraft to subregional missions and light payloads.
Hydrogen, however, offers eight-times the energy efficiency over synthetic fuels when deployed in electric systems and a higher specific energy by weight than any battery or sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) alternative.
While synthetic fuels such as power-to-liquid SAFs can be used in existing aircraft, their combustion still produces nitrogen oxides (NOx) and contrail-inducing particulates, especially at altitude. These fuels also face severe efficiency and scalability challenges, being roughly 3.5 times less efficient than hydrogen-electric architectures.
Hydrogen fuel cells, on the other hand, convert hydrogen into electricity through electrochemical reactions, producing only heat and water as outputs. No combustion means no soot, no NOx and potentially no contrails – an important consideration as aviation’s non-CO₂ impacts are scrutinized.
Designing a hydrogen-electric aircraft
To fully leverage the potential of hydrogen-electric propulsion, Beyond Aero has adopted a clean-sheet design philosophy – developing its aircraft from the ground up around the unique architecture and requirements of this next-generation power source.
Rather than modifying existing platforms, the company is engineering its first aircraft – the BYA-I light jet – as a purpose-built, hydrogen-electric aircraft optimized for both performance and manufacturability. The first electric aircraft powered by hydrogen propulsion is designed to carry six passengers up to 800 nautical miles (1,500km) – five times farther than similar battery-electric aircraft.
Unlike retrofitted jets that suffer performance trade-offs due to additional weight and aerodynamic drag, the BYA-I integrates its fuel cells, hydrogen tanks, electric propulsion and thermal management systems from the outset. This holistic configuration enables improved weight distribution, cooling efficiency and aerodynamics – critical factors for range, safety and certification in aircraft under 8.6 tons.
Modern hydrogen fuel cells are already efficient and lightweight enough to power aircraft under 8.6 tons. As production scales, further improvements in performance and cost are expected.
Embedding digital infrastructure in aviation from the outset
Alongside new propulsion systems, the aircraft architecture must leverage digital systems by design. The digitalization of aviation has typically been layered atop legacy platforms, but clean-sheet electric aircraft enable digital infrastructure to be embedded from inception. This includes:
● Sensor-rich health monitoring of powerplant and structural components.
● Fly-by-wire avionics to support flight efficiency and manoeuvrability.
● Cloud-based machine learning to process fleet-wide data and optimize future flights.
● Edge computing onboard to enable real-time diagnostics, routing adjustments and user interface personalization.
For operators, this architecture translates into actionable benefits: automated crew scheduling, predictive maintenance and load balancing across fleets. For pilots, real-time route optimization based on weather and performance data reduces pre-flight prep and in-flight uncertainty. These are not lifestyle enhancements – they are architectural enablers for lower downtime, higher availability and more efficient asset utilization.
When integrated into the aircraft’s native software and hardware environment, digitalization becomes core to flight safety, operational efficiency and fleet adaptability.
Business aviation as a launchpad
Business aviation is the low hanging fruit of the aviation world, and is likely to be the first to see a shift towards hydrogen. Here’s why:
Certification advantages: Aircraft classified under CS23/FAR23 (typically under 8.6 tons) benefit from a more streamlined and less costly certification process compared to the more stringent requirements for larger commercial aircraft.
Operational fit: More than 70% of business aviation flights are under 1,000 km and 90% are under 2,000 km – well within hydrogen-electric range capabilities.
Cost efficiency: The OEM fuel cell system eliminates high-temperature cycles and rotating assemblies common in turbines, significantly reducing maintenance requirements. Preliminary data shows over 20% lower operating costs than comparable turboprops or jet models, supported by results from Project Fresson, which demonstrated up to 50% savings in propulsion system maintenance costs, and long-term hydrogen fuel cost forecasts indicating price parity – or advantage – over Jet A-1 by 2030.
Concerns about hydrogen refuelling are increasingly addressable. As of 2023, more than 1,000 refuelling stations exist globally, with a +60% increase from 2021 to 2023.
For aviation, the recently published SAE AIR8466 report, defines best practices and engineering guidelines for setting up hydrogen refuelling systems at airports – ensuring safe handling and compatibility for both gaseous and liquid hydrogen infrastructure.
Initial deployments can be strategically focused: 15% of business airports handle 90% of global business jet traffic. Equipping the top 10 on each continent would enable over 500,000 hydrogen-electric flights annually, according to WingX and EBAA Traffic Tracker.
Roadmap to scaling hydrogen-electric aircraft
Beyond Aero’s roadmap to hydrogen-electric flight is designed to deliver early impact, support infrastructure rollout and scale in alignment with global climate goals.
From 2020 to 2030, the focus lies on foundational steps, or seed phase, including the certification of a first aircraft under CS23/FAR23 regulations – enabling a faster time-to-market through the light aircraft category. Parallel efforts address the deployment of initial airport hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, ensuring early route viability. While hydrogen-electric systems take off, SAF remains a key lever to reduce emissions in legacy fleets.
During the 2030 to 2040 period, the harvest phase begins. This stage is characterized by advances in fuel cell performance and liquid hydrogen storage technologies, paving the way for the development of 70-seat regional aircraft certified under CS25 standards – marking a critical step in validating hydrogen-electric systems on higher-capacity routes and expanding their relevance across regional markets.
By 2040 to 2050, the roadmap enters its consolidation phase, aimed at launching a 150-seat commercial aircraft equipped with scaled hydrogen systems. This will unlock the ability to target high-frequency, short-haul routes that currently account for up to 24% of aviation-related emissions. Addressing these segments positions hydrogen-electric propulsion as a credible, high-impact alternative to conventional jet fuels.
As an aircraft manufacturer, Beyond Aero proposes a technically feasible roadmap – from propulsion architecture and certification to infrastructure rollout – based on real-world constraints and physics. By engineering around the limits of existing energy carriers, it aims to achieve zero direct emissions in flight on missions that represent most of current traffic.
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/08/reinventing-aviation-electrification-digitalization-hydrogen