Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on the processes it has in place for the licensing of hydrogen in aviation (a) testing and (b) programmes.

The Government works closely with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK’s independent aviation regulator.

Baroness Vere met with new CAA CEO Rob Bishton on 26 October and discussions included the CAA’s approach to regulating innovative technologies that will support decarbonisation of the sector.

The CAA are active participants in the Jet Zero Council, the forum that brings together Government, industry and academia to drive the delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions and co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for Transport, Business and Trade and Energy Security and Net Zero. The CAA attended the ninth Jet Zero Council, held on 8 November, and also chair a Regulatory Sub-Group within the Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group of the Council.

The CAA is supporting the testing of hydrogen in aviation by a range of UK organisations. As one example ZeroAvia, with CAA permissions, are currently test flying an aircraft using hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion in Gloucestershire.

The CAA have also established a Hydrogen Regulatory Challenge which will run for 18 months from October 2023 supported by funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Regulatory Pioneers Fund.