AMSL Aero, Australia's zero-emission aircraft designer and manufacturer, has successfully completed its first year of hydrogen fuel cell testing at Sydney's Bankstown airport, positioning it for emission-free flight testing within 12 months.

Positive results from the pioneering tests at one of Australia's busiest airports have propelled AMSL Aero closer to its goal of decarbonising essential air services such as medical transfers, passenger and freight services. AMSL Aero's hybrid eVTOL aircraft Vertiia will fly 1,000 km on hydrogen, making air transport cheaper and greener nationwide.

Test results reveal that since mid-2024, AMSL Aero has used more than 200 kgs of hydrogen. That is enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool at atmospheric pressure and successfully power its 100kW fuel cell test bench, the only known facility of its kind in Australia.

The test bench works as a fully functional mock-up of the hydrogen powertrain for Vertiia, which made Australian aviation history in late 2024 by making its first free flights. AMSL Aero has won orders for Vertiias from general aviation operators including Bankstown airport-based Aviation Logistics, making it one of the few eVTOL manufacturers worldwide to have secured cash deposits.

“In just one year, our world-class engineering team has successfully demonstrated the practical applications of hydrogen in aviation,” says Chris Smallhorn, chairman of AMSL Aero. “Our collaboration with Bankstown is instrumental in our ongoing mission to offer longer-distance flights that cut both the cost and carbon footprint of travel across Australia and elsewhere.”

Simon Coburn, hydrogen lead at AMSL Aero, explains that the 200kg of hydrogen used was sufficient to export 30kW of electricity into the airport grid for three working weeks and slash the airport's power bill by about 1.8MWh. He adds: “Our fuel cell test bench has not only validated our aircraft's powertrain but has also contributed to the airport's energy needs.”

Tom Smith, CEO of Aeria Management Group, operator of Bankstown airport, comments: “We are leading the way in the national flight path towards net-zero aviation. Thanks to AMSL Aero, Bankstown became the first airport in Australia to introduce hydrogen as aviation fuel. A year on, we are proud to continue working with the pioneering team at AMSL Aero to land hydrogen-fuelled flights for all Australians, including essential emergency and aeromedical services in regional and rural Australia.”

AMSL Aero has also deployed the test bench to Wellington Aerodrome in rural NSW for recharging Vertiia between test flights.