Unlocking Clean Aviation in Africa: Challenges to localising Hydrogen Aviation Propulsion in South Africa

The global aviation industry has adopted ICAO’s Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Hydrogen fuel cell propulsion is recognised as a key enabler of zero-emission aviation. While South Africa has strong potential for green hydrogen production due to its renewable energy resources, the country does have challenges in localising hydrogen aviation propulsion technologies. This paper explores these challenges through the CSIR’s H2UAV project, which is a hydrogen powered long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to localise aviation hydrogen propulsion expertise, demonstrate hydrogen propulsion feasibility, and support a roadmap toward decarbonisation in aviation. Challenges identified include underdeveloped regulatory frameworks, limited early-stage funding, infrastructure inefficiencies, and a shortage of aerospace product development expertise. This study draws on global hydrogen aviation trends and proposes mechanisms for overcoming these obstacles in emerging economies like South Africa to boost the implementation of low carbon aviation propulsion technologies. Keywords: Hydrogen fuel cells; Technology development; Aviation.