Exeter Airport will trial the use of hydrogen-powered aircraft tug and ground power units this Spring (2025), to investigate how ground operations can be decarbonised.
Under the second round of the ‘Hydrogen Challenge’, Exeter Airport and its parent company, Regional and City Airports (RCA), will work with Cranfield University and TUI to test hydrogen storage and handling under different conditions and develop concepts for using locally produced hydrogen.
This three-year stage of the Hydrogen Challenge is expected to drive advancements in hydrogen-powered aircraft in the UK, airport infrastructure and scientific research while conducting flight trials and safety assessments to refine the technology.
“These trials will keep the UK on course to be a world leader in hydrogen propulsion,” claimed Tim Johnson, Director of Communications, Strategy and Policy at the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UKCAA).
“We are working with some of the most innovative companies and minds to better understand this technology and how it might be introduced safely in the aerospace sector,” Johnson added.
Furthermore, Exeter Airport will join Rolls-Royce, the University of Oxford, and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) in the initiative after being selected as part of the £940,000 ($1.2m) Hydrogen Challenge Sandbox, which was funded by the UK Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology last February (2024).
Read more:UKCAA to shape hydrogen-powered aviation’s regulatory path with key players
Stephen Wiltshire, Managing Director of Exeter Airport, said the trial “underscores [the airport’s] commitment to innovation and sustainability,” and working with Cranfield and TUI will produce “vital insights into how hydrogen can be effectively integrated into airport operations.”
