At Bristol Airport, easyJet is leading the first trials of hydrogen refueling
While the majority of airlines and airports worldwide have embraced the challenge of achieving net zero carbon emissions, there are many more people who share responsibility for achieving this goal. Industry partners of all sizes will need to work together to decarbonize, especially when it comes to the infrastructure required to maintain modern aircraft.
The industry is moving quickly toward the certification of clean sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for engines and aircraft operations; commercial flights have already demonstrated the efficacy of this technology. Hydrogen powering airplanes is not yet common, although it is evolving quickly. However, both fuel sources need substantial infrastructure before becoming extensively used.
The successful conclusion of an airside hydrogen refueling trial at Bristol Airport (BRS) in the United Kingdom was reported by easyJet, a leading low-cost carrier, on Friday. Under the direction of easyJet, a number of industry participants joined forces to service and refuel ground support equipment (GSE), such as a luggage tractor, for easyJet passenger aircraft.
Project Acorn was a trial that easyJet ran as part of regular operations at Bristol Airport. Its success has demonstrated that hydrogen can be used to refuel ground equipment in a busy, operational airport environment in a safe and reliable manner. EasyJet's chief operating officer, David Morgan, stated that the airline's current rate of innovation indicates that hydrogen will undoubtedly play a significant role in short-haul aviation in the future.
"While the technology is advancing at an exciting pace, as hydrogen isn't used in commercial aviation today, there is currently no regulatory guidance in place on how it can and should be used, and so trials like this are very important in building the safety case and providing critical data and insight to inform the development of the industry's regulatory framework."
The amount of time available to aviation to establish the necessary ground infrastructure, operating protocols, and safety standards—including those pertaining to the usage, control, and transportation of hydrogen—to prepare the industry for the new fuel is rapidly running out. Project Acorn is the first leg of this journey, and obtaining the Civil Aviation Authority's authorization for airside refueling was a major goal achieved by the GSE experiments.
A more immediate goal is to prepare Bristol Airport for testing and eventually commercial operations of hydrogen-fueled aircraft by implementing long-term or permanent hydrogen GSE installations. More generally, the safety evaluations and emergency preparations with local authorities will offer priceless insights and act as a guide to help airports make the switch to hydrogen.
Over a year has passed since the start of Project Acorn, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has actively participated in the project as an impartial safety case reviewer. Although hydrogen has the potential to be an emissions-free aviation fuel, there are still a number of safety, regulatory, and certification obstacles that must be resolved.
Further study and testing are needed to promote future hydrogen adoption, influence hydrogen infrastructure policy, and guarantee safe handling in airport and airline operations in order to continue advancing hydrogen in aviation. This good conclusion is a significant step forward for hydrogen power in aviation since one such option is the practical trial of gaseous hydrogen-fueled GSE in an airport. The following were the trial's main phases:
- Safety & Evaluation: Before the test at Bristol Airport, landside operating trials and training were carried out at Cranfield University in a secure setting.
- Storage & Distribution: Fuel Cell Systems constructed and supplied the hyQube hydrogen refueler, and tanks filled with hydrogen were delivered to the airport trial location. It takes about three minutes to fully fill the baggage tractor's tank, allowing it to run for two to three hours.
- Powering the Tractor: The tractor was powered by the logistics company DHL, which also maintained and refueled easyJet aircraft. As part of regular operations, easyJet passenger aircraft luggage was towed to and from the airport and plane.
