Hydrogen Plane Startup Plans First Test Flight This Week

As far as company headquarters go, Universal Hydrogen Co.’s is both unique and fitting. The startup has taken over a hangar at the Hawthorne Municipal Airport near Los Angeles. Its next-door neighbor is the actor and sometimes wayward pilot Harrison Ford, and a bit more down the way is Elon Musk, who often keeps his private jet at the airport. For a company hoping to remake air travel, it would be hard to do better than having Han Solo and the SpaceX founder as inspirations.

Universal, which has raised $100 million, wants to play a major role in the airline industry’s potential shift from kerosene to more climate-friendly hydrogen fuel. Its long-term plan is to supply a new generation of aircraft with hydrogen-filled containers made by Universal that can be delivered to airports and placed in planes using existing cargo equipment. It’s seeking to eventually provide a key part of fueling infrastructure at airports throughout the world.