AoT Pathways for Airports to Develop into Energy Hubs April 2024

Drivers that could impact hydrogen pathways The adoption of hydrogen in aviation will depend on different parameters such as the development of aircraft and non-aircraft R&D projects, the timing for certification, the roll-out of the associated infrastructure and, ultimately, the specific dynamics of supply and demand at different types of airports. The most significant drivers are likely to be the individual characteristics of the airport and its local and regional policy environment. Three main airport archetypes have been identified from the Target True Zero report8. –Intercontinental hubs, which comprise roughly 40 of the largest commercial and cargo airports in the world, such as Dubai International Airport and Changi in Singapore. –Major regional airports, comprising approximately 200 medium-sized airports acting as domestic hubs, such as Dallas Fort Worth or Hamburg in Germany. –Small regional airports, including all other airports with regularly scheduled services that act primarily as spokes in the larger aviation network. Three policy archetypes have been identified – subsidy-based environment, mandate-based environment and limited climate policy. Although large regions can be generalized by their climate policy archetype, it must be noted that individual countries within regions may not fit into the archetype (e.g., Japan does not have limited climate policies). Airports that handle significant international traffic (e.g., 100+ international destinations, 50m+ annual passengers) and serve as major transfer points for global travellers (e.g., 500k-900k annual aircraft movements) Examples: DXB, LHR Climate policy focused on government incentives through tax credits, direct funding, rebates or grants Example*: North AmericaAirports that serve important business regions and focus on regional and some international traffic (e.g., focus on connecting regional hubs, 20m-50m annual passengers, 300k-600k annual aircraft movements) Examples: DFW, BRU Climate policy that implements strict regulations and legally binding targets to force emission reductions through cap-and-trade programmes, quotas and outright bans Example*: EuropeAirports that primarily handle domestic flights and serve as feeders for larger hubs (e.g., primarily domestic routes, 5m-25m annual passengers, 150k-400k annual aircraft movements) Examples: Westchester County Airport (HPN), Birmingham Airport (BHX) Do not prioritize aggressive climate action or are in the early stages of implementing climate strategy. May have climate goals but lack the frameworks required to drive change Examples*: Asia, Middle East, Latin America, AfricaIntercontinental hub Subsidy-based policy environmentMajor regional airport Mandate-based policy environmentSmall regional airport Limited climate policy environment Note: *Not all countries within a region may fit under one archetype