London Gatwick Airport to Lead the Way in Hydrogen Aviation Innovation
Key Ideas
- London Gatwick Airport partners with Airbus to develop liquid hydrogen supply, storage, refueling, and ground handling for hydrogen aircraft, positioning itself as a testbed for future hydrogen flight infrastructure.
- The CEO of London Gatwick expresses enthusiasm for hydrogen's potential to decarbonize the airport's emissions, aiming to achieve net zero for emissions by 2030, a decade earlier than planned.
- Airbus' Hydrogen Hubs at Airports initiative, with agreements in 13 countries, aims to create a reliable hydrogen ecosystem to support the deployment of hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035 under the ZEROe Project.
- Airbus emphasizes the importance of shared knowledge and best practices in developing hydrogen infrastructure to enable the transition to hydrogen as a fuel source for decarbonizing the aviation industry.
London Gatwick Airport is set to lead the way in hydrogen aviation innovation through a partnership with Airbus. The project will focus on establishing liquid hydrogen supply, storage, refueling, and ground handling processes for hydrogen aircraft. With Easyjet operating primarily from Gatwick, the airport is seen as an ideal testbed for researching critical support infrastructure for hydrogen flight, especially for short-haul routes. The CEO of Gatwick Airport, Stewart Wingate, is optimistic about hydrogen's role in decarbonizing emissions, aiming to achieve net zero for controlled emissions by 2030. The collaboration falls under Airbus' Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, which aims to expand hydrogen infrastructure globally. Airbus's ZEROe Project targets having a hydrogen-powered aircraft flying by 2035, with the vice president highlighting hydrogen's versatility as a fuel source for industry decarbonization. The focus is on developing a reliable hydrogen ecosystem through shared knowledge among consortium members, with the goal of building the necessary infrastructure to support future hydrogen-powered flights.