Under Airbus’ Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, the scope of work covers liquid hydrogen supply and storage at the airport, refuelling and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft, as well as the exploration of other, shorter-term opportunities for using hydrogen at Gatwick.
Because early hydrogen-powered aircraft will initially focus on short- to medium-haul routes, Gatwick’s position as the UK’s leading hub for these services, along with easyJet’s operational insight as a short-haul carrier, makes this the ideal testbed for R&D into critical support infrastructure.
Gatwick chief executive officer Stewart Wingate said: “Alongside sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen stands out as having real potential to help us decarbonise Scope 3 emissions at the airport, particularly for the short-haul aircraft that dominate London Gatwick’s operations. In parallel we’ve accelerated our plans and aim to be net zero for the 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 to do, but today’s exciting partnership is an important early step toward reaching our net zero ambitions.”
This partnership will add to the ongoing work easyJet and Airbus are doing with Hydrogen South West, an infrastructure ecosystem that aims to bring the benefits of hydrogen to the South West of England.
Airbus launched the Hydrogen Hub at Airports' programme to promote the further expansion of hydrogen infrastructure in aviation. To date, agreements have been signed with partners and airports in 13 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, the UK and the United States.
