Airbus, Air Liquide and Vinci Airports have partnered to implement a hydrogen gas distribution station at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport in France, as part of a three-step plan to support the decarbonization of air travel.
First is the deployment of a hydrogen gas distribution station at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport from 2023. This station will supply the airport’s ground vehicles (buses, trucks, handling equipment, etc) and those of its partners, as well as the heavy goods vehicles that drive around the airport. This first phase is essential to test the airport’s facilities and dynamics as a ‘hydrogen hub’ in its area of reach.
Second, the deployment of liquid hydrogen infrastructures is scheduled between 2023 and 2030. This step will allow hydrogen to be provisioned into the tanks of future aircraft. Finally, by 2030, the three partners will study the possibility of equipping Vinci Airports’ European airport network with the hydrogen production, storage and supply facilities needed for use on the ground and on board aircraft. Beyond 2030, the partners plan for the new hydrogen infrastructure to be deployed throughout the airport, from production to mass distribution of liquid hydrogen.
This partnership is designed to be a step forward for the development of hydrogen across the airport ecosystem and, as a result, the decarbonization of air travel. This announcement comes alongside Airbus’s first full-size wing prototype, created as a part of the company’s research and technology program, ‘Wing of Tomorrow’. The program tests the latest composite materials and new technologies in aerodynamics and wing architecture to contribute to aviation’s decarbonization.
Sabine Klauke, Airbus chief technical officer, said, “High-performing wing technology is one of several solutions – alongside sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen – we can implement to contribute to aviation’s decarbonization ambition. ‘Wing of Tomorrow’ is also an example of how large-scale industry collaboration will be critical to achieving our sector’s agenda for a more sustainable future.”