Bristol airport pioneers hydrogen powered ground support equipment

A ground-breaking airside hydrogen refuelling trial, led by easyJet and supported by several cross-industry partners, has been completed at Bristol Airport.

In the first of its kind trial at a major UK airport, hydrogen was used to refuel and power ground support equipment (GSE) – specifically, baggage tractors – servicing easyJet passenger aircraft.

Conducted as part of the airline’s daily operations, the Project Acorn trial has demonstrated that hydrogen can be safely and reliably used to refuel ground equipment in the busy, live airport environment.

While the short-term objective is to lead to the long-term, permanent deployment of hydrogen GSE at Bristol Airport the longer-term aim is providing the airport with the infrastructure needed for trials and then commercial operations of hydrogen-fuelled aircraft.

The trial involved leading organisations from across aviation, engineering, logistics and academia. These include Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, Cranfield University, Connected Places Catapult (CPC), DHL Supply Chain, Fuel Cell Systems, the IAAPS research institute, Jacobs, Mulag and TCR.

The group intends to build on the trial’s findings to develop industry best practice standards, provide guidance to airports, airlines, local authorities and regulators on required infrastructure changes, and support the development of a regulatory framework for hydrogen’s use on an airfield – standards which, due to hydrogen’s nascency in aviation, do not currently exist.

The data and insights gathered will also feed into research that groups like Hydrogen in Aviation are conducting to ensure UK infrastructure, regulatory and policy changes keep pace with the technological developments in carbon-emission-free flying. It also supports the work and ambitions of other bodies such as Hydrogen South West (HSW) and the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII), the latter having also co-funded the project.

Andrew Chadwick, Interim Ecosystem Director - Aviation and Airports, Connected Places Catapult said “We’re delighted at Connected Places Catapult to champion Project Acorn through our integral role in the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative. We have brought together key players to collaborate and tackle head-on the technological and regulatory challenges facing transport decarbonisation and, in this particular case, aviation. Our collective work is critical in driving us towards net-zero goals, ensuring a sustainable future. Strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in cutting-edge innovation.”

David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer at easyJet added, “While the technology is advancing at an exciting pace, as hydrogen isn’t used in commercial aviation today, there is currently no regulatory guidance in place on how it can and should be used, and so trials like this are very important in building the safety case and providing critical data and insight to inform the development of the industry’s first regulatory framework. This will ensure regulation not only keeps pace with innovation, but importantly also supports the industry in meeting its decarbonisation targets by 2050.”

Tim Johnson, Director for Strategy, Policy and Communications at the Civil Aviation Authority said, “This trial will serve as the basis of a White Paper which we will also be contributing to, as well as allow for the creation of further safety guidance and regulatory standards for the use of hydrogen in aviation. We look forward to helping nurture this seed of the future greener aviation sector as it continues to grow.”