Airbus has welcomed easyJet, London Gatwick and Air Products to their expanding global hub network, with the goal of expanding hydrogen capability and infrastructure in the UK, as Airbus moves closer to getting a hydrogen-powered aircraft in the sky by 2035.
On Thursday (July 18, 2024), easyJet announced that they have joined Airbus, London Gatwick (LGW) and Air Products, the world’s largest hydrogen supplier, with the goal of expanding hydrogen capability and infrastructure in the UK. Airbus plans on having a hydrogen powered aircraft in the sky by 2035, and setting up the right infrastructure is key to enabling the future of hydrogen flight. Under the ‘Airbus Hydrogen Hubs at Airports’ framework, the scope of work includes liquid hydrogen supply and storage at the airport, refueling and ground handling of hydrogen powered aircraft, along with the exploration of other shorter-term opportunities for the use of hydrogen at LGW.
In Thursday’s announcement, easyJet’s Chief Operating Officer, David Morgan, said,
“Hydrogen is going to play an important role in decarbonising aviation so we need to lay the groundwork now to make that happen. The Gatwick hub is another positive signal and demonstrates the industry’s intent to both adapt and work together to reach the common goal of decarbonising aviation. Combined with support from regulators and policymakers, I’ve no doubt that projects like this will act as the building blocks to prepare UK airports for a hydrogen transition – something that will be critical to achieving our net zero ambitions.”
Also commenting on the hydrogen infrastructure collaboration, Airbus’ Vice President – ZEROe Project, Glenn Llewellyn, said,
“Our licence to operate hinges on finding better ways to fly. We know hydrogen has the versatility to be an excellent fuel source for decarbonising the industry. We’ve set ambitious targets to fly on hydrogen by 2035 and this technology needs to be supported by reliable and tested infrastructure. Sharing knowledge and best practice at airports will be critical for building the right hydrogen ecosystem around the world and we look forward to working with all consortium members to develop the support for the technology and end-to-end hydrogen supply chain that will power future flight.”
Further commenting on the partnership, London Gatwick’s CEO, Stewart Wingate, said,
“Alongside Sustainable Aviation Fuels, hydrogen stands out as having real potential to help us decarbonise Scope 3 emissions at the airport, particularly for the short haul aircraft that dominate London Gatwick’s operations. In parallel we’ve accelerated our plans and aim to be net zero for the emissions we control – Scope 1 and 2 - ten years early, by 2030. We still have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do, but today’s exciting partnership is an important early step toward reaching our net zero ambitions.”
Air Products’ VP and General Manager – UK, Ireland, Israel and Italy, added,
“We’re incredibly pleased to contribute Air Products’ decades of experience producing and distributing hydrogen to this exciting project. The Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework is an important milestone in paving the way for sustainable aviation and future proofing the UK economy. Air Products is committed to helping the UK become a global leader in low carbon hydrogen production. We look forward to collaborating with our partners and government leaders on this project and to unlock further investments in renewable hydrogen. These include our plans for a large-scale renewable hydrogen facility in Immingham.”
London Gatwick is part of the VINCI Airports network, which operates 70+ airports in 14 countries. London Gatwick now joins Lyon Saint Exupéry and Kansai airports, which have previously established Hydrogen Hubs in partnership with Airbus.
Since early hydrogen-powered aircraft will initially be deployed on short and medium-haul routes, London Gatwick’s position as the UK’s leading hub for these services, combined with easyJet’s operational insight as a short-haul carrier, makes this partnership ideal for R&D into the critical support infrastructure. The new partnership builds on easyJet and Airbus’ continuous work with Hydrogen South West, an infrastructure ecosystem that aims to bring hydrogen to the South West of England. To date, Airbus’ Hydrogen Hub at Airports’ program has partnered with airports in 13 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, the UK and the U.S.
Source: easyJet