Six prominent companies operating in the aviation and energy industries have signed a partnership agreement to develop the first hydrogen airport hub located in Spain.
Airbus will join Spain’s main airport operator, Aena, as well as two airlines, Air Nostrum and Iberia, and two energy firms, Exolum and Repsol, to foster and develop the hydrogen aviation ecosystem in the country.
Airbus is currently working on the ZEROe program, which aims to launch a family of hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035. The project is facing some formidable technological and operational challenges, not least the availability of green hydrogen at airports in the quantities that would enable the smooth regular operation of hydrogen-powered airliners.
The first and primary goal of the collaboration is precisely to assess the needs of a future hydrogen aviation ecosystem both when it comes to supply and infrastructure as well as to operations.
To date, the European aircraft manufacturer has signed similar agreements with partners and airports in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.