Airbus, Kansai Airports and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Kawasaki) have signed a memorandum of understanding to study the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at three airports operated in the Kansai region of Japan – Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport and Kobe Airport.
Evaluating hydrogen infrastructure
The three parties will conduct an initial feasibility study for the introduction and operation of hydrogen aircraft as part of the Hydrogen Hub at Airports program and strengthen collaboration to materialize the supply of hydrogen to aircraft at the three airports.
The new initiative by the three parties will focus on the definition of a hydrogen infrastructure and supply roadmap at all three airports. This will be based on specific aircraft and airport characteristics.
The results will be evaluated from the perspectives of technology, economics, legal compatibility and operations. The approach to the challenges identified will be clarified through potential demonstration projects to be launched and roadmap development, leading to policy recommendations.
Since 2022, Airbus has worked with Kansai Airports on the use of hydrogen in the development of airport infrastructure, where Kansai Airports demonstrated hydrogen infrastructures that included fuel cell buses and forklifts in full operation. The three airports have their own geographical and traffic characteristics which enabled Airbus to study multiple means to supply hydrogen to the airport premises.
The manufacturer has also worked with Kawasaki for the preparation of the hydrogen-fuelled ecosystem, where Kawasaki, as a hydrogen solution provider, demonstrated strong capabilities to design several end-to-end cryogenic hydrogen supply network options.
Second phase of integrated feasibility study
Both these projects have delivered insights into hydrogen infrastructures at the airports and the successful partnerships have evolved into the second phase of the integrated feasibility study, where collaboration between the three parties will include the perspectives of both supply chain and airport operations.
Under the partnership, Airbus has carried out a liquid hydrogen demand forecast for the airports where a few tons of liquid hydrogen per day would be required to support the aircraft operations in the early stage of introduction. This is forecasted to increase to up to several hundred tons per day by around 2050. Airbus has observed a mature hydrogen industry footprint in Kansai and other regions backed by extensive policy measures and foresees a promising market for hydrogen aviation.
“Hydrogen is attracting global attention as a way to decarbonize. The Japanese government is promoting a hydrogen-based energy strategy to achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2050,” said Karine Guenan, head of ZEROe Ecosystem. “In fact, the Japanese government has announced specific plans for the development of hydrogen from production to consumption. We believe our partnership with Japanese companies under the Hydrogen Hubs at Airports program will contribute to the introduction of a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035.”
“Kansai Airports has set a vision to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and is actively pursuing various initiatives, including the use of hydrogen, to reduce environmental impact,” said Yoshiyuki Yamaya, representative director and CEO, and Benoit Rulleau, representative director and co-CEO, Kansai Airports. “We are delighted that this partnership will not only help us crystallize hydrogen solutions in the airport sector but also contribute to the decarbonization in the aviation industry. Based on our efforts since 2022, we will strengthen collaboration with new partners and strive to become a model for hydrogen use in airport infrastructure.”
“Kawasaki has been developing all sorts of technologies required for establishing an international hydrogen supply chain, after recognizing early on the value of hydrogen as a ‘clean’ energy carrier which emits no CO2 when used,” said Motohiko Nishimura, executive officer and deputy general manager of hydrogen strategy division at Kawasaki. “We believe that this three-company partnership will be a step toward a solution for decarbonization through the use of hydrogen in the aviation industry, where a reduction in CO2 emissions has been deemed difficult. The signing of this memorandum of agreement is sure to accelerate Kawasaki’s efforts to achieve a hydrogen-powered aircraft.”
In related news, Glasgow Airport in Scotland announced earlier thie year that its hydrogen hub could have the infrastructure to support zero-emission flight in place by 2027. Click here to read the full story.