Airbus, Air Liquide, VINCI Airports to promote hydrogen for aviation sector

Partners will work together to promote the use of hydrogen at airports and build the European airport network to accommodate future hydrogen aircrafts.

Airbus, Air Liquide and VINCI Airports, three major players in the aviation, hydrogen and airport industries, are working together to promote the use of hydrogen at airports and build the European airport network to accommodate future hydrogen aircrafts.

The airport of Lyon-Saint Exupéry, France, will host the first installations as early as 2023, according to a company’s press release.

The implementation of this project includes several phases. From 2023, companies will deploy a hydrogen gas distribution station at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport. This station will supply both the airport's ground vehicles and those of its partners, as well as the heavy goods vehicles that drive around the airport.

Between 2023 and 2030, partners will deploy liquid hydrogen infrastructures that will allow hydrogen to be provisioned into the tanks of future aircraft. Beyond 2030, they are planning to deploy the hydrogen infrastructure from production to mass distribution of liquid hydrogen at the airport.

Air Liquide Group has installed more than 120 hydrogen stations around the world.