Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology Set for Takeoff with KLM-Dash 8 Retrofit Project

At the 2025 Paris Air Show, things got pretty exciting in the world of aviation. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Transavia, and Conscious Aerospace announced they’re teaming up to tackle something big: they’re going to retrofit a De Havilland Dash 8-300 with a cutting-edge 2.1MW liquid hydrogen-electric powertrain. Yep, you read that right — they’re aiming to bring zero-emission regional flight closer to reality.

Powering the future with hydrogen

This isn’t your average tech upgrade. We’re talking about a major shift toward green hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells — the kind that could change how we fly completely. In this partnership, KLM and Transavia are bringing the flight operations know-how, while Conscious Aerospace is leading the charge on the fuel cell technology and engineering side of things. It’s a smart marriage of real-world flight experience and next-gen innovation.

From test flights to takeoff — a roadmap for change

The plan is more than just swapping out engines. They’re diving deep into route analysis, cost modeling, and eventually getting that retrofitted Dash 8-300 off the ground for demonstration flights. If all goes well, we might see commercial hydrogen-powered flights in the air by the end of this decade. It won’t be simple — hydrogen infrastructure on the ground and aircraft certification are still big challenges. But with support from EASA and Dutch government players already on board, the regulatory momentum seems to be building.

Flying cleaner, thinking bigger

This collaboration isn’t just about making planes greener — it’s signaling a real shift in priorities. As airlines search for paths toward zero-emission technology and aim to hit ambitious climate targets, this kind of project shows what’s possible. With the right backing and brains behind it, the move to hydrogen fuel cells in aviation doesn’t just look promising — it looks inevitable.