easyJet and Rolls-Royce Successfully Complete 100 Percent Hydrogen Aero Engine Test

easyJet has announced the successful completion of an industry-first 100 percent hydrogen aviation fuel test in partnership with Rolls-Royce.  During the test, a modified Pearl 15 engine ran only on hydrogen at full take-off power at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.

easyJet and Rolls-Royce Have Successfully Completed an Industry-First 100 Percent Hydrogen Aviation Fuel Test – Courtesy easyJet

On Wednesday (April 29, 2026), easyJet announced, that in partnership with Rolls-Royce, the successful completion of a major testing milestone using hydrogen as an aviation fuel, marking a significant step in efforts to reduce aviation emissions.  In an industry first, the companies tested a modified Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 aircraft engine reaching full take off power while running on 100 percent hydrogen.  The successful test took place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center, near Bay St. Louis Mississippi in the U.S.

In Wednesday’s announcement, easyJet’s Chief Operating Officer, David Morgan, said,

“This industry-first is a real testament to the progress our partnership with Rolls-Royce has achieved, taking hydrogen from early concept through to full engine build and successful testing in just a few years.  Demonstrating 100% hydrogen operation at scale is a significant milestone and marks an important step towards easyJet’s net zero ambition, supporting the long-term transition to more sustainable aviation.”

Also commenting on the successful hydrogen aviation fuel test, Rolls-Royce’s Chief Engineer – Hydrogen Demonstrator Programme, Adam Newman, said,

“This programme has given us the clearest understanding in the industry of how hydrogen behaves in a modern aero gas turbine.  Through a collaborative, staged testing approach, we have validated combustion, fuel and control system technologies, and demonstrated the safe use of hydrogen through design, commissioning, maintenance and testing.

“We have explored a wide range of operating conditions, including fault scenarios, enabling operation at maximum power and across a full flight cycle.  The pace of delivery has been critical, and the insights gained, many of which are fuel agnostic, will now be applied across our future programmes, including UltraFan®, strengthening our confidence that the gas turbine will remain at the forefront of sustainable aviation’s future.”

NASA Stennis Center’s Acting Director, Christine Powell, added,

“NASA Stennis has proven to be a go-to location that enables industry to execute specialized testing that their mission requires.  This milestone is a great example of how our infrastructure and expertise can be leveraged to advance future technologies and solve broader challenges.”

easyJet and Rolls-Royce Successfully Test a Pearl 15 Engine Using 100 Percent Hydrogen Aviation Fuel - Courtesy easyJet

This industry-first milestone is the result of a four-year program between Rolls-Royce, easyJet and global partners to explore hydrogen as a potential aviation fuel and generate engineering insight for future propulsion applications.  easyJet has played a central role in supporting the development of hydrogen gas turbine technology as part of its long-term decarbonization ambitions.  During this phase of the testing program, engineers demonstrated that a modern jet engine, scalable to power a narrowbody aircraft, can safely operate on gaseous hydrogen across a fully simulated flight cycle, including start-up, take-off, cruise and landing.

Source: easyJet