A project to lay the foundations for a network of routes flown by small hydrogen-powered aircraft connecting rural airports in the Baltic Sea region has been given the green light.
The three-year project is planned to culminate in a flight demonstration from Hamburg Airport in Germany.
With a budget of €4.8 million ($5.4 million), about 80% of which is expected to come from the EU’s Interreg program, the Baltic Sea Region Hydrogen Air Transport project is led by Hamburg Airport.
The project involves 16 other partners and 24 organizations, including airport operators in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden. In Germany, Lubeck and Sylt Airports are involved along with regional airline Lubeck Air and charter operator Sylt Air.
With the goal of revitalizing regional air transport, the project aims to develop a supply chain for gaseous green hydrogen from production to the refueling of aircraft and airport ground equipment. “Gaseous hydrogen is the fuel of the future, especially for smaller general aviation aircraft, such as turboprops with 20-30 seats,” says Jan Eike Hardegen, Hamburg Airport head of environment.
The primary goal of the Baltic Sea Project is to drive the development of hydrogen-powered aviation in the region. “Hydrogen offers great potential for climate-neutral short-haul flights. General aviation with smaller, future hydrogen-powered aircraft is particularly well suited here,” he says.
The project is intended to define the requirements for airport infrastructure to support hydrogen-powered aircraft. On completion of the project, the airport operators involved should be ready to implement infrastructure investment projects on their own, Hamburg Airport says.
In June, Hamburg Airport and Rotterdam The Hague Airport signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the viability of launching a hydrogen flight route between the two hubs as early as 2026.
The agreement also involves the Hamburg Aviation cluster and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport, and envisions a deepening technical collaboration between the two hubs on sustainable airport operation, including digitalization, renewable energy production, infrastructure, training and smart airport technology.
In February, Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Rotterdam the Hague Innovation Airport signed a collaboration agreement with ZeroAvia and Shell to develop a concept of operations for hydrogen in airports with plans for demonstration flights to European destinations by the end of 2024 and commercial passenger flights by 2025.
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