–In Canada, Montréal-Trudeau and Toronto Pearson airports are building on hydrogen demonstrations initiated in 2024, with expanded trials and infrastructure development continuing into 2025. Edmonton Airport continues to progress on this topic through its Hydrogen Hub. –In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s Brisbane Airport44 and Japan’s Kansai International Airport45 are progressing hydrogen-powered aviation and airport energy applications, with implementation activities accelerating through 2025. These pilots reflect a growing recognition that hydrogen is not a standalone solution, but a complement to electrification, particularly where high power demand, fast refuelling and operational resilience are critical. From hydrogen baggage tugs and tractors to mobile refuelling units and on-airport hydrogen stations,46 airports are actively building practical experience and de-risking future infrastructure choices. In November 2025, the Forum published a white paper, Decarbonizing Aviation Ground Operations: Alternative Bus Technologies, to support the techno-economic assessment of the different technologies available to power airport buses. However, the availability of clean electricity and affordable hydrogen remain the top priorities for executives looking to deploy these technologies, with concerns about both the price and the prioritization of electrons and clean fuel molecules across industries, given the emerging competition from data centres and AI. Overall, challenges such as grid reliability, the volatility of electricity pricing and recent electricity system disruptions have elevated energy resilience to a strategic priority for both governments and companies. Within this context, hydrogen projects are increasingly framed not as symbolic steps towards future aircraft, but as tools to diversify energy supply at airports, enhance flexibility and support uninterrupted operations. While hydrogen aircraft may arrive later than once anticipated, the gradual expansion of hydrogen infrastructure at airports continues to build the foundations of a future multi-energy ecosystem. Hydrogen’s role in aviation is shifting from a distant aircraft concept to a near-term enabler of energy resilience and airport ecosystems. From an investment perspective, building hydrogen infrastructure today is more about creating optionality across multiple decarbonization pathways, including e-SAF production and ground operations. What would ultimately unlock scale is not technological hype, but policy clarity, bankable offtake structures and cross-sector collaboration. Hydrogen should therefore be understood as part of a broader multi-energy infrastructure system rather than a standalone solution. Richard Folsom, Co-Founder, Advantage Partners Global Aviation Sustainability Outlook 2026 18