A GROUND-breaking airside hydrogen refuelling trial has been successfully completed at Bristol Airport.
The trial, part of Project Acorn, was led by easyjet.
The project is being supported by several partners from across multiple industries.
Hydrogen was used to power ground support equipment (GSE), such as baggage tractors.
This was the first airport trial of its kind at a major UK airport.
Project Acorn has been in development for over a year and has involved organisations such as Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, Cranfield University, Connected Places Catapult (CPC), DHL Supply Chain, Fuel Cell Systems, the IAAPS research institute, Jacobs, Mulag and TCR.
The outputs of the trial will be used to develop industry best practice standards and support the development of a regulatory framework for hydrogen's use on an airfield.
The data gathered will help groups like Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA), who are conducting research to ensure UK infrastructure, regulatory and policy changes keep up to date with the technological developments in carbon-emission free flying.
On top of this, it will support the work of other bodies such as Hydrogen South West (HSW) and the Hydrogen Innovation Initiative (HII).
David Morgan, chief operating officer at easyJet, said: “It’s without doubt that hydrogen will be an important fuel of the future for short-haul aviation, as demonstrated by the rate of innovation we’re seeing.
“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."
Tim Johnson, director for Strategy, Policy and Communications at the Civil Aviation Authority, added: “Projects such as this are cornerstones of our commitment to support innovation and decarbonisation in the industry.
“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.”
Anthony Browne, Aviation Minister, concluded: “Project Acorn is a great example of the UK aviation sector pushing the boundaries of what’s possible - using leading engineering to make decarbonisation a reality from the ground operation to the planes themselves.
“Innovative projects like this are crucial to achieving our target, set out in the Jet Zero Strategy of zero emission airport operations by 2040.”
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