Tomorrow's Airports: Possible Energy Networks of the Future
Airbus, the European aerospace giant, is spearheading a significant shift towards a greener aviation future. The company has activated Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with two airline customers, SAS Airlines and easyJet, to assess hydrogen infrastructure needs at airports.
This move is part of the broader "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" project, which aims to transform airport infrastructure and operations to reduce their environmental footprint. The project is a key step towards Airbus's ambition to introduce hydrogen-powered aircraft and decarbonize airport operations by 2035.
Lionel Cousseins, ZEROe Market Development and Airline Relations Manager at Airbus, emphasized the crucial role airports play in enabling the transition to a climate-neutral air transport ecosystem.
Airports consume vast amounts of energy for cooling and heating, and hydrogen could help mitigate the environmental footprint of these energy needs. Hydrogen hubs at airports would provide refueling and operational infrastructure necessary for hydrogen aircraft deployment, serving both ground operations and aircraft fueling needs.
The project scope likely includes building hydrogen production, storage, and refueling infrastructure at airports, integrating with airport ground support equipment electrification, and enabling supply chains for green hydrogen. This would be essential to achieving net-zero airport operations by 2035.
Airbus sees itself as a facilitator, bringing together all key players around the same table to ensure necessary infrastructure for zero-emission aircraft by 2035. The company has already partnered with ADP (Paris Airports) and Air Liquide to better understand hydrogen infrastructure needs at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris Orly Airport (ORY).
Similar collaborations have been established with other players in the aviation ecosystem, such as easyJet, and the results of these studies are expected to be released later this year. Airbus expects to announce additional strategic partnerships with key players across various markets throughout 2021.
The "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" concept is not just about air travel. It aims to pave the way for hydrogen adoption in airport ground transport, traditionally powered by fossil fuels, potentially decarbonizing air transport activities. Airport-controlled activities account for around 2-3% of the aviation industry's total emissions, equating to approximately 15-20 megatons of CO2 emissions per year globally.
By 2035, the "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" concept could significantly reduce aircraft emissions in the air and on the ground, potentially decarbonizing air transport activities. This approach aligns with broader European Clean Aviation targets to mature and demonstrate hydrogen technologies at scale within the next decade.
In conclusion, Airbus's hydrogen airport hub efforts are progressing as part of a comprehensive plan integrating hydrogen propulsion aircraft development and supporting infrastructure to decarbonize aviation operations and airport energy systems by 2035. This approach could revolutionize the aviation industry, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
- Airbus, in collaboration with airline partners like SAS Airlines and easyJet, is exploring hydrogen infrastructure needs at airports, aiming to transform airport operations and reduce their environmental impact as part of a broader plan for a greener aviation future.
- The "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" project is extending its scope beyond aircraft, aiming to decarbonize airport ground transport that traditionally relies on fossil fuels, potentially reducing the sector's overall carbon footprint.
- Financing and partnerships are crucial for the success of the "Hydrogen Hub at Airports" project, with Airbus aiming to collaborate with key players in various markets across the aviation industry, including ADP, Air Liquide, and easyJet, to ensure the necessary infrastructure for zero-emission aircraft by 2035.
- As part of the European Clean Aviation targets, Airbus's hydrogen airport hub efforts are focused on maturing and demonstrating hydrogen technologies at scale within the next decade, with the potential to revolutionize the aviation industry, making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly by 2035.
