Roadmap for Implementing Hydrogen Technology at Medium Sized European Airport

Kurzfassung

Like other transport sectors, the aviation industry is required to reduce its climate-relevant emissions and achieve climate protection targets. One much-discussed option offering the potential to sustainably reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is using green hydrogen as a propellant in new aircraft technologies. This paper aims to develop a roadmap for the introduction and use of hydrogen as an alternative aviation fuel at medium-sized airports in Europe, taking Hamburg Airport (HAM) as an example. Especially the development of hydrogen demand and required infrastructures until 2050 at airport level are evaluated. This research has partly been conducted in close co-operation with experts from Hamburg Airport. Our results indicate that the introduction of hydrogen in aviation is a complex task, requiring both large industry investments and decisive political support. If these conditions are met, hydrogen can make an important contribution to the decarbonization of aviation. According to our modeling results, 60% of Hamburg Airport’s departures could be operated with hydrogen aircraft in 2050, which corresponds to a CO2 reduction of 0.5 million tons of CO2 (-38%).