The three-year project involves airports, airlines, research establishments and technology companies in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Poland and Germany.
“Technology is developing so quickly these days that we need to start preparing if we want to be ready for the adoption of alternative fuels,” said Riivo Tuvike, chairman of the management board of Tallinn Airport. “They will include both electricity and hydrogen, the latter of which is an area we need more information about. And that’s why we joined the project. It won’t result in ready-made infrastructure, but in knowledge and contacts that will help airports prepare for alternative fuels being taken into use.”
The project aims to develop, test and evaluate practical solutions that will facilitate the adoption of hydrogen by airports and airlines. It will also examine best practice in the storage, handling and supplying of hydrogen. Moreover, it is important that legislation supports the process of adopting hydrogen as a whole.
Tuvike says Tallinn Airport has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 and climate neutrality by 2030. “To do both those things, we have to work every day to reduce our impact on the environment,” he said. “We’ll gain the greatest benefits once we’ve given up on fossil fuels completely and made the switch to green fuels. We’ve been making exclusive use of paraffin fuel produced from renewable sources throughout the airport since summer 2023, which is helping us substantially reduce the impact of our operations. And in order to be a pioneer and set an example to others, we’re going one step further to promote a smaller footprint among airlines as well.”
