Hamburg Airport is taking the next big step towards becoming a hydrogen hub in the general aviation sector. As part of the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Programme, the “Baltic Sea Region Project” initiated by Hamburg Airport will receive support in the “Green Mobility” funding category.

The project aims to better connect rural Baltic Sea regions to existing aviation hubs with hydrogen-powered small aircraft. The project “BSR Hydrogen Air Transport – Preparation of Baltic Sea Region Airports for Green Hydrogen” is expected to start in November 2023. The project is scheduled to last about three years and involves 16 project partners and 24 associated organisations in addition to Hamburg Airport.

The project budget is up to 4.8 million euros, of which about 1.1 million euros will be allocated to Hamburg Airport. The project partners expect EU funding of around 80 percent.

Important contents of the “Baltic Sea Region Project” are the development of the supply chain for green, gaseous hydrogen from production to the fuelling of aircraft or airport ground equipment, as well as test operations. Almost all major airport operators around the Baltic Sea are part of the partnership, e.g. Finavia, Swedavia, Lithuanian Airports, Riga Airport, Tallinn Airport.

The project development and application was initiated by Hamburg Airport, the lead partner of the partnership. As the project aims, among other things, at revitalising regional air traffic, several smaller airports and regional airlines are also involved in the partnership. Relevant technology providers, universities and authorities are also partners or associated organisations.

In Germany, Sylt Airport, Sylt Air, Lübeck Air and Lübeck Airport are project partners. In addition, there are the following associated organisations: Ministry of Economics, Transport, Labour Technology and Tourism of the State of Schleswig-Holstein (MWVATT), Hamburg Aviation e.V., ZAL Zentrum für Angewandte Luftfahrtforschung, Hamburg Authority for Economics and Innovation (BWI).

Especially for smaller aircraft: Hydrogen as the engine of the future

Michael Eggenschwiler, Chairman of the Executive Board at Hamburg Airport:

These are exciting days for the future of aviation.

“We recently announced our cooperation with Rotterdam The Hague Airport on a flight connection for hydrogen-based aircraft, and now we are getting the green light for the Baltic Sea Region Project. It is no coincidence that Hamburg Airport is one of the drivers of innovation: as an airport, we have set ourselves the goal of reducing our CO2 emissions to zero by 2035 and completely foregoing compensation.”

“So it is only logical that we also make a concrete commitment to an environmentally compatible future for aviation. As a hydrogen hub, we can contribute to this development very well.”

Jan Eike Hardegen, Head of Environment at Hamburg Airport:

Hydrogen offers great potential for climate-neutral flights on short-haul routes.

“General aviation with smaller, future hydrogen-powered aircraft is particularly suitable here. Gaseous hydrogen is the propulsion of the future, especially for smaller general aviation aircraft, such as turboprops with 20-30 seats.” These aircraft can also be used to connect more rural regions of the Baltic Sea countries according to demand. Therefore, the primary goal of the initiated “Baltic Sea Region Project” is to power hydrogen-based air transport in the Baltic Sea region.

Real H2 demonstration flight from Hamburg planned

The project aims to clarify the prerequisites for an airport infrastructure that is geared towards H2-powered aircraft. At the end of the project, all airports should be prepared to invest and implement their infrastructure projects on their own.

At the end of the project period, a real demonstration flight with a hydrogen-powered aircraft is planned from Hamburg Airport. With this project, Hamburg Airport wants to work out the possibilities of general aviation in H2 technology. In addition to this development aspect, a completely new network of flight connections is also to be opened up.

Net Zero 2035: Hamburg Airport supports climate-friendly flying

With its climate strategy “Net Zero 2035 – Now. For the Future”, Hamburg Airport aims to reduce the airport city’s greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2035 – as the first major airport in Germany to do so. In addition, Hamburg Airport supports air traffic on its way to a CO2-free future.

The goals of Net Zero 2035 include active support for research and development: the “Baltic Sea Region Project” is an example of how alternative propulsion options can further advance aviation in the field of climate-friendly flying.

read full article here : https://hydrogen-central.com/hamburg-airport-way-becoming-hydrogen-hub-eu-funds-baltic-sea-region-project/

The H2 HUB AIRPORT project has announced the 11 winning projects that will be contributing to this hydrogen development.

The renewable energy effort’s call for expressions of interest was met by 124 interested groups.

These 11 projects will contribute to the Île-de-France Region’s H2 HUB AIRPORT project, which will involve the transformation of Paris airports into hydrogen hubs. This is a part of the broader effort from the region to take part in the European Commission’s goal to achieve zero-emission aircrafts by 2035.

The primary themes described in the call for expressions of interest in the project were: hydrogen storage, transportation, and distribution; diversification of H2 use cases in airports in addition to aeronautics in general; and a circular H2 economy.

The selected projects will be central to the development of the H2 HUB AIRPORT project as a whole.

The 11 projects selected to take part will be core building blocks for both the construction of the airport based H2 value chain but also the expansion of the project for covering all the various issues related to an aerospace ecosystem.

Meetings will be held in coming weeks and months to help establish a timeline for each project. The goal will be to help to secure long-term financially feasible hydrogen solutions and to be able to begin the on-site testing starting in 2023.

Among the winners for H2 production, hydrogen storage, transportation and delivery include Air Liquide Advanced Technologies, a subsidiary of Air Liquide. That company will also provide a refuelling truck with a large capacity to contain liquid H2.

The Ecodrome consortium has also proposed to establish a supply station for both hydrogen refueling and electric recharging on airfields for use by electric passenger aircraft as well as hybrid land vehicles.

Geostock, an engineering group, specializes in storing energy underground and will develop solutions for large H2 storage in lined mined cavities. Hylandair will use its own hydrogen gas ecosystem for use on the air and the land side of the H2 HUB AIRPORT. Sakowin and Universal Hydrogen are also among the winners in this project.

source : https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/h2-hub-airport/8546760/

Airbus and Air France-KLM are joining airports operator Groupe ADP and other French entities to explore the use of hydrogen at Parisian airports.

They are seeking projects focused on storage and distribution of gaseous and liquid hydrogen within airports, options for hydrogen recycling, and diverse uses of hydrogen in aeronautics – such as its application to ground operations and infrastructure energy supply.

The aerospace organisations and the French capital, supported by governmental promotional agency Choose Paris Region, state that they intend to build a “unique” airport eco-system centred on hydrogen and establish the city’s airports as “hydrogen hubs”.

These partners are jointly issuing a “worldwide call” for expressions of interest in the exploration of hydrogen and the transformation of airport infrastructure to take into account the emergence of hydrogen as a fuel.

Selected projects, following the closure of a 19 March deadline, will be disclosed at the end of April.

Source: Airbus

Airbus has previously unveiled conceptual designs of hydrogen-fuelled aircraft

France’s government previously unveiled an aerospace strategy which focused on the development of zero-emission aircraft by 2035, and Airbus has been directing its efforts towards the potential of hydrogen power. Paris Region also adopted a ‘Hydrogen Plan’ in late 2019.

The advent of hydrogen, the partners state, will “revolutionise” the way airports are designed and operated.

Their vision of the future hydrogen-based airport eco-system will also encompass large and small companies, start-up enterprises, laboratories and universities.

“Airbus is determined to drive a bold vision for the future of sustainable aviation, and to lead the transition to zero-emission commercial flight,” says Airbus executive vice-president of engineering Jean-Brice Dumont.

“Hydrogen is the one of the most promising technologies that will help us meet that objective. But we won’t be able to do it alone.”

The partners’ initiative aims to identify advances in technology and research and test economically-viable solutions to the issues of using hydrogen on a large scale at airports.

“We must prepare today to welcome the hydrogen aircraft in 2035 by transforming our airports into real hydrogen hubs, in which we wish to develop various uses, with our stakeholders, around airside and city-side ground mobility,” says Groupe ADP deputy chief Edward Arkwright.

Air France-KLM executive vice-president, corporate secretary, Anne-Sophie Le Lay says the introduction of new energy sources is “fundamental” to shift towards “more sustainable and responsible” air transport

Source : https://www.flightglobal.com/air-transport/airbus-and-air-france-spearhead-paris-bid-to-advance-hydrogen-hub-airports/142385.article