Airbus has partnered with London Gatwick Airport (LGW), easyJet, and Air Products to advance the development of hydrogen infrastructure at the London hub.
Establishing the necessary infrastructure is vital for the future of hydrogen-powered aviation, says Airbus, and to help realise this vision, Airbus’ Hydrogen Hubs at Airports programme aims to establish liquid hydrogen supply and storage at London Gatwick. The programme will manage the refuelling and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft and will explore other immediate uses for hydrogen at the airport.
As hydrogen-powered aircraft are initially expected to serve short to medium-haul routes, Airbus says that LGW was an obvious choice, while partnering with easyJet also made sense given its expertise in short-haul operations.
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, London Gatwick, 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.”
