Airbus’s aspirations to field a zero-emission narrowbody by 2035 hinge not only on overcoming the technical hurdles of designing and building a hydrogen-powered airliner but on the so-called ecosystem that will allow for its operation in a transport system now designed for conventionally powered aircraft. Bringing not only hydrogen— but so-called green hydrogen—at the right price and quantity and from the right sources to the airports where Airbus’s ZEROe aircraft will operate stands among the foremost considerations. As Airbus vice president of ZEROe H2 ecosystem Karine Guenan put it, “there is no point having a zero-emission aircraft if the aircraft doesn’t meet airline needs.”
Appearing in Toulouse during the first day of Airbus’s recent Sustainability Summit, Guenan and Airbus vice present of zero-emission aircraft Glenn Llewelynn cited the scores of partnerships since the launch of the ZEROe project has entered to address infrastructure and “ecosystem” needs around the world. Just in the last year, it signed an agreement with Changi Airport Group, global industrial gases and engineering company Linde, and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to study the potential for a future hydrogen hub in the city-state. Other agreements in Asia-Pacific involve partners in Japan, South Korea, and Australia, while in the U.S. it inked an MOU with Delta Air Lines among other undisclosed partners, and in Europe with Milan Airport, Venice Airports, and the UK’s National Gas company.
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