Spotlight: Hydrogen fuel feasibility studies with airports and airlines6 To help meet its goal of zero-emission commercial flights, Airbus has begun hydrogen feasibility studies at airports worldwide. The studies will examine the opportunities and barriers to hydrogen supply, infrastructure and equipment development. These studies are typically conducted across the wider airport ecosystem, where not only are the OEMs and the airports participating but also energy producers, ground handling service providers and airlines. These feasibility studies are happening already in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain and the United States where major airports are driving hydrogen adoption for the industry. Most of these studies are intended to be completed in the coming years. Spotlight: Rotterdam The Hague Airport enhancing logistics and transport efficiency7 The collaboration between Rotterdam The Hague Airport and the Port of Rotterdam is advancing hydrogen infrastructure for various use cases. Hydrogen is a good fit for the airport, which has 16,000 flights a year and 90% of those connections are point-to-point routes that align with the potential future hydrogen aircraft ranges. Currently, hydrogen can be delivered by trucks, allowing the airport to start testing initial use cases to explore safety and certification concerns. A 8.6kg hydrogen storage facility is set for the summer of 2025, to be placed airside for testing drone operations and safety protocols, and will be open for research institutes and R&D purposes. Additionally, a hydrogen aircraft concept is being tested at the airport and ground support equipment (GSE) operations are transitioning to hydrogen, supported by EU funding. A delivery contract has been established with Air Products for the transportation of liquid hydrogen (LH2) from the Port of Rotterdam to the airport. Additionally, the hydrogen ground power unit (GPU), initially tested at Amsterdam Schiphol as part of the TULIPS project, will also be piloted at the airport in Q4 of 2025. The gaseous hydrogen will be supplied through the gaseous hydrogen refuelling station that is currently under development. Safety measures involve close cooperation with fire services, simulating emergency hydrogen flight scenarios. Hydrogen use cases at airports The scope of this section focuses on “on-airport” use cases, which excludes other potential use cases, such as local energy generation, ground vehicles for local industry and fuel cell rental cars. Use case Potential offtaker Core requirements for implementation Microgrids –Airport operators –Utility companies –Energy service companies –Airlines –Facility and infrastructure owners –Public-private partnerships –Government agencies –Technology: Microgrid integration (e.g., through advanced energy management systems) –Policy: Streamlined permitting and licensing frameworks, incentives and subsidies to scale hydrogen solutions –Economics: Increased cost-competitiveness of fuel cell microgrids –Education: Stakeholder engagement on the benefits and safety of fuel cell microgrids –Partners: Strong supporting ecosystem include energy suppliers, federal agencies and infrastructure providers Aircraft Small business and regional flights (i.e., fewer than 100 seats) –Airlines –Leasing companies –Cargo operators –Corporate buyers –Private owners –Technology: Hydrogen storage and distribution infrastructure, streamlined certification processes –Policy: Safety regulations, incentives and subsidies, mandates –Economics: Cost-reduction strategies, TCO (total cost of ownership) analysis –Education: Pilot and crew training, ground service equipment (GSE) workforce development –Partners: Governments to certify aircraft, airlines to procure and add aircraft to fleet 100-300 seater –Technology: Research and development to make feasible, long-term offtake agreements to signal demand –Policy: Safety regulations, incentives and subsidies, mandates –Education: R&D to confirm feasibility and advance latest technology –Partners: Government, airlines, OEMs and universities to advance R&D

AoT Pathways for Airports to Develop into Energy Hubs April 2024