Alex Trelinski
SIX major players in Spanish aviation have signed an agreement to study the creation of the country’s first hydrogen airport hub.
The manufacturer Airbus, airport operator Aena, carriers Air Nostrum and Iberia, Spanish fuel distributor Exolum, and energy giant Repsol have come together for the deal.
They have joined forces to address the main challenges posed by the deployment of hydrogen-powered aviation in Spain, with the ultimate goal of fostering and supporting the growth of this ecosystem in the sector.
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The collaboration will provide them with a holistic view of hydrogen-powered aircraft and how they can be integrated into the airport ecosystem- not only focusing on hydrogen supply and infrastructure, but also on the specific requirements of ground operations at airports.
Director of Sustainability of Airbus in Spain, Javier Arnaldo, said that it is ‘essential’ that the aviation industry collaborates to ensure the future supply of hydrogen at airports, taking into account ‘Spain’s great potential’ in renewables and in the production of low-carbon hydrogen.
From Aena, its Director of Sustainability, Ana Salazar, stressed that the collaboration will allow a broader understanding of ‘how the hydrogen supply process to Spanish airports could materialise in the future, in order to establish a roadmap that allows the main challenges to be addressed.’
Iberia’s Teresa Parejo said hydrogen is expected to be part of the future of aviation, which will come later and will complement the development of sustainable fuels.
“To reach that future we must start taking the first steps now,” Parejo added.
