Clean hydrogen could significantly reduce aviation emission within five years, a report from Australia's national science agency has found.

Hydrogen could entirely replace conventional jet fuel by 2050, according to the report published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on Tuesday, which had technical input from aerospace giant Boeing.

It called for hydrogen to be introduced as a fuel source for niche airport applications such as ground support equipment by 2025 and for existing airport and aircraft infrastructure by 2035. 

Larry Marshall, chief executive of the CSIRO, said that the aviation industry was aiming to recover to a new "normal" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"As we see travel resume, hydrogen presents a key solution to enable a sustainable recovery for the industry using liquid renewable fuel, and to grow future resilience from threats like oil shocks," he said in a media release. 

"CSIRO's 2018 breakthrough in fueling hydrogen-powered cars with liquid renewable fuel has created opportunities for industries to supercharge their decarbonization by investing in hydrogen. 

"Science becomes real in the hands of visionary partners like Boeing who are willing to embrace science to support the development of a whole new sustainable and resilient industry that supports a green recovery." 

The CSIRO in 2018 published a National Hydrogen Roadmap, which found that Australia's hydrogen industry was set for a rapid scale-up. 

Aviation accounts for more than two percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions but Michael Edwards, general manager of Boeing Research and Technology in Australia, said that the industry was committed to reducing emissions by half. 

"In addition to more efficient aircraft, sustainable aviation fuels like hydrogen are a necessary contributor to the decarbonization of aviation, and we are committed to furthering their development," he said.