Airbus welcomes easyJet and London Gatwick to global hydrogen hub network

easyJet has teamed up with Airbus, London Gatwick and Air Products, the world’s largest hydrogen supplier, to expand hydrogen capability and infrastructure in the UK as the manufacturer moves closer to its target of getting a hydrogen powered aircraft in the sky by 2035. 

Setting up the right infrastructure is key to enabling hydrogen flight and this partnership is yet another step towards making this a reality in the UK. 

Under Airbus’ Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, the scope of work covers liquid hydrogen supply and storage at the airport, refuelling and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft, as well as the exploration of other, shorter-term opportunities for using hydrogen at London Gatwick. 

Because early hydrogen-powered aircraft will initially focus on short to medium haul routes, London Gatwick’s position as the UK’s leading hub for these services, along with easyJet’s operational insight as a short haul carrier, makes this the ideal testbed for R&D into critical support infrastructure. This collaboration between Airbus, London Gatwick, easyJet and Air Products will serve as a powerful statement of commitment to making hydrogen-powered flight a reality by 2035. 

David Morgan, chief operating officer, easyJet, said: “Hydrogen is going to play an important role in decarbonising aviation so we need to lay the groundwork now to make that happen. The Gatwick hub is another positive signal and demonstrates the industry’s intent to both adapt and work together to reach the common goal of decarbonising aviation. Combined with support from regulators and policymakers, I’ve no doubt that projects like this will act as the building blocks to prepare UK airports for a hydrogen transition – something that will be critical to achieving our net zero ambitions.”

Airbus vice president ZEROe Project Glenn Llewellyn said: “Our licence to operate hinges on finding better ways to fly. We know hydrogen has the versatility to be an excellent fuel source for decarbonising the industry. We’ve set ambitious targets to fly on hydrogen by 2035 and this technology needs to be supported by reliable and tested infrastructure. Sharing knowledge and best practice at airports will be critical for building the right hydrogen ecosystem around the world and we look forward to working with all consortium members to develop the support for the technology and end-to-end hydrogen supply chain that will power future flight.”

Stewart Wingate, chief executive officer, London Gatwick, said: “Alongside Sustainable Aviation Fuels, hydrogen stands out as having real potential to help us decarbonise Scope 3 emissions at the airport, particularly for the short haul aircraft that dominate London Gatwick’s operations. In parallel we’ve accelerated our plans and aim to be net zero for the emissions we control – Scope 1 and 2 - ten years early, by 2030. We still have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do, but today’s exciting partnership is an important early step toward reaching our net zero ambitions.”

Suzanne Lowe, vice president and general manager, United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel and Italy, Air Products, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to contribute Air Products' decades of experience producing and distributing hydrogen to this exciting project. The Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework is an important milestone in paving the way for sustainable aviation and future proofing the UK economy. Air Products is committed to helping the UK become a global leader in low carbon hydrogen production. We look forward to collaborating with our partners and government leaders on this project and to unlock further investments in renewable hydrogen. These include our plans for a large-scale renewable hydrogen facility in Immingham.”

This partnership will add to the ongoing work easyJet and Airbus are doing with Hydrogen South West, an infrastructure ecosystem that aims to bring the benefits of hydrogen to the South West of England.