Universal Hydrogen Co. has opened an engineering design centre and European headquarters in the historic Hangar B16 at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. An inauguration event was attended by industry leaders and dignitaries, when the company debuted its newly-liveried ATR 72 test aircraft which is used for developing the hydrogen retrofit kit and hydrogen module operational handling experiments.

The event also highlighted Universal Hydrogen's liquid hydrogen modular capsule technology as well as the company's renovation of the historic hangar. The liquid hydrogen capsule development is one of the key focus areas for the Toulouse team and has exceeded key performance targets in latest full-scale prototype testing. Hangar B16 was originally built in the 1940s and was first used as a civil hangar for aircraft maintenance before being occupied by Airbus during the development of the Guppy and the Caravelle. After the opening of today's Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in 1953, the hangar was modified, elevated, and divided into two separate facilities in the 1960s. Today, it remains one the most historic and storied buildings on the airport.

“Toulouse is the cradle of the European aerospace industry and has been an essential element of our talent and partner strategy,” says Paul Eremenko, co-founder and ceo of Universal Hydrogen. “We're eager to showcase our progress toward decarbonising aviation.”

“The EU has taken a leading role in developing hydrogen as a near-term decarbonization option for transport applications, including aviation,” adds Pierre Farjounel, general manager Europe of Universal Hydrogen. “This is one of the main reasons we chose to have a significant EU footprint for Universal Hydrogen and we are keen to leverage Toulouse's historical role as a leader in aerospace innovation to position the region as a leading hub in climate tech.”