Airbus, Avinor, SAS, Swedavia, and Vattenfall signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Stockholm, Sweden on Wednesday (Jan. 31) to explore hydrogen infrastructure at airports in Sweden and Norway.
This collaboration aims to assess hydrogen aircraft concepts, supply chains, infrastructures, and refueling needs at airports, laying the groundwork for a hydrogen aviation ecosystem in both countries. It will also identify airports for hydrogen-powered aircraft operations and establish the regulatory framework.
This groundbreaking study, covering more than 50 airports across two countries, underscores the partners’ commitment to decarbonize the aviation sector and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“Hydrogen stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” said Guillaume Faury, CEO Airbus. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. I am very pleased to enter into this cooperation with partners fully engaged to take significant steps towards decarbonising aerospace. It fits perfectly with our strategy of deploying hydrogen aviation ecosystems in the most suitable parts of the world.”
Abraham Foss, CEO Avinor, stated, “Hydrogen is emerging as a key energy carrier in future fossil free aviation. As the owner and operator of 43 airports across Norway, Avinor has been working on sustainability for many years already, and has taken a position as a driving force and facilitator for the green transition of Norwegian aviation. Our dialogue with Airbus concerning the decarbonization of aviation goes several years back and we are very happy to be able to announce this collaboration together with our good neighbors in Sweden. Norway, as well as Sweden, is well positioned to be an early mover in the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft. We look forward to contributing with our expertise as well as infrastructure to bring this important work forward.”
SAS’ President & CEO Anko van der Werff emphasized, “As the world takes positive steps towards a more sustainable future, SAS’ commitment is to ensure that also coming generations can enjoy the benefits of seamless global connectivity. By partnering with some of the strongest and most innovative players in the industry, we are assuming our responsibility to drive the transition towards achieving net-zero emissions. A journey that matters not just for SAS, but for the entire aviation industry.”
“We are very excited to be part of a larger partnership on the role of hydrogen in aviation together with Airbus, Avinor, SAS and Vattenfall. Swedavia, Avinor and SAS already have established successful collaborations in fossil-free aviation, and it is therefore exciting that Airbus, with its extensive knowledge of hydrogen-powered aircraft through its ZEROe initiative, and Vattenfall, with its expertise in electricity and energy production, are joining us in a more in-depth collaboration,” said Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia’s president and CEO.
“Hydrogen is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry’s fuel mix in the future and will therefore have an increasing effect on the infrastructure and planning of our airports. This partnership is a major and important step towards fossil-free aviation in the Nordic region and will further strengthen Swedavia’s role as a front-runner in fossil-free aviation, while at the same time taking another important step in the transition within the aviation industry,” he added.
”We want to enable industry decarbonization. Aviation is a hard to abate industry where breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge today. This cross border collaboration however demonstrates the willingness to bring about change,” said Anna Borg, President and CEO, Vattenfall. “We look forward to contributing with expertise in electricity market development, electrical infrastructure, and hydrogen production in Sweden.”
Hydrogen-powered aircraft not only reduce emissions in the air but also hold the potential to decarbonize ground operations. Airbus aims to bring the world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft to market by 2035 through its ZEROe initiative, supported by global Research & Technology efforts.
Airbus’ “Hydrogen Hub at Airports” program, spanning ten countries, accelerates research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations.
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