Given that early hydrogen-powered aircraft will initially focus on short- to medium-haul routes, London Gatwick’s position as a leading hub for these services in the UK makes it an ideal testbed for research and development into this critical support infrastructure. EasyJet's operational insight as a short-haul carrier further enhances this suitability.
Under Airbus’ Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, the scope of work includes liquid hydrogen supply and storage at the airport, refueling and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft, as well as exploring other shorter-term opportunities for using hydrogen at London Gatwick.
Following today's announcement, London Gatwick joins Lyon-Saint Exupery and Kansai Airports in forming Hydrogen Hubs in partnership with Airbus. This initiative is part of VINCI Airports' strategy to develop carbon-free hydrogen infrastructure.
Recently, VINCI Airports announced its participation in the GOLIAT project—an innovative aviation hydrogen handling and refueling project led by Airbus. Supported by academic partners, airport operators, and leading companies in the hydrogen industry, its objective is to demonstrate small-scale liquid hydrogen aircraft ground operations at three European airports. By 2027, Lyon-Saint Exupery Airport will conclude this pilot project with a demonstration involving a first Hydrogen Plane. Meanwhile, airports operated by VINCI Airports in Portugal are also involved in technical studies related to future required infrastructures.
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer of London Gatwick said: “Alongside Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Hydrogen stands out as having real potential to help us decarbonize Scope 3 emissions at the airport—particularly for short-haul aircraft that dominate London Gatwick’s operations. In parallel, we’ve accelerated our plans and aim to be net zero for 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 ahead but today’s exciting partnership is an important early step toward reaching our net-zero ambitions.”
Glenn Llewellyn, Vice President ZEROe Project at Airbus said: “Our license to operate hinges on finding better ways to fly. We know hydrogen has the versatility to be an excellent fuel source for decarbonizing the industry. We’ve set ambitious targets to fly on hydrogen by 2035 and this technology needs reliable and tested infrastructure support. Sharing knowledge and best practices at airports will be critical for building the right hydrogen ecosystem around the world; we look forward to working with all consortium members on developing support for technology and end-to-end hydrogen supply chains that will power future flight.”
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