H2FLY and Stuttgart Airport have teamed up to establish a Center of Excellence for Hydrogen in Aviation at the German airport.
To be managed by H2FLY, the Hydrogen Aviation Center will provide a central facility where businesses and scientific institutes can develop state-of-the-art concepts in zero-emission hydrogen-electric aviation, and then test them on the ground and in the air within the airport environment.
The core of the Hydrogen Aviation Center will feature a hangar with test stands, workshops, and an integration environment for the installation and adaptation of zero-emission aircraft propulsion systems and workstations, as well as an outdoor area where hydrogen technologies can be tested in aircraft demonstrators. This infrastructure will enable the development of megawatt-scale components and subsystems along with the integration and test operation of hydrogen-electric powertrains.
These technological developments require close collaboration between a wide range of commercial companies and scientific institutes. Interested organisations are invited to utilise facilities. Scheduled to open in late 2024, the Hydrogen Aviation Center will become the hub of these collaborations and strengthen close cooperation, the stakeholders said.
Baden-Württemberg is supporting the project with funding from its Ministry of Transport, with the state assuming a leading role in the transformation to zero-emission aviation, which is crucial to achieving climate change goals.
Winfried Kretschmann, minister-president of Baden-Württemberg, said: “We’ve been following our own hydrogen roadmap in Baden-Württemberg for two years. With hydrogen set to play a crucial role in tomorrow’s transport and logistics sector, one of our aims is to establish ourselves as a leading region in the transformation of aviation. To achieve this, we need concrete actions – such as the new Center of Excellence for Hydrogen in Aviation at Stuttgart Airport which is being co-financed by the government of Baden-Württemberg to the tune of €5.5m.
“Aircraft such as those being developed here point the way to the future of emission-free flight. This project will enable our region to become not just a centre of R&D for hydrogen aircraft, but eventually also a manufacturing centre, and demonstrate how we are countering climate change with a spirit of innovation.”
Image: H2FLY
