Bristol Airport joins new alliance in bid to accelerate zero carbon aviation
Bristol Airport has joined forces with other companies in the aviation and renewables sectors in a bid to realise the UK's potential as a global leader in hydrogen-powered flight.
Alongside the airport, the newly created Hydrogen in Aviation (HIA) alliance comprises easyJet, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Ørsted and GKN Aerospace and it wants to speed up zero-carbon aviation.
It will help the UK government and other key policymakers to map out the milestones needed to scale up the infrastructure and the policy, regulatory and safety frameworks needed.
Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said: "We’re proud to be part of this new alliance, coming together to call for action now so hydrogen flight can become a reality in the future.
"The potential opportunities of hydrogen flight are huge – most of Bristol Airport’s routes could be served by zero emissions aircraft and our region is uniquely positioned to become a global centre for the new technology, creating thousands of new aerospace jobs."
Hydrogen is not the only option for decarbonising the sector but the HIA reckons more attention should be paid to its potential.
And the UK is already in an advanced position. Last year saw the first ground test by Rolls-Royce of a fully hydrogen-powered jet engine, while Airbus is developing new hydrogen powered aircraft with the aim of entering commercial service from 2035.
Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet and first Chair of HIA, noted: "There is no doubt that the UK has the potential to become a world leader in hydrogen aviation, which could bring with it a £34bn per annum boost to the country’s economy by 2050, but in order to capture this opportunity, rapid change is needed and the time to act is now."
"We must work together to deliver the radical solutions required for a hard to abate industry like aviation so we can protect and maximise the benefits that it brings to the UK economy and society and that we know British consumers want to be preserved."
The UK aviation industry already contributes more than £22bn directly to gross domestic product (GDP), plus £34bn from exporting aerospace components. The industry directly employs over 230,000 people.
The Department for Transport's DfT’s 'Jet Zero Strategy' states that rapid investment in hydrogen aviation could see the UK securing 60,000 new jobs, while recent projections from Hydrogen UK predict that hydrogen could contribute to £18bn gross value added (GVA) and help meet up to 50% of the country's energy demand by 2050.
The decarbonisation of aviation will require the successful deployment of multiple technologies, including sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), as well as hydrogen.
But Bristol airport highlighted that the use of hydrogen, particularly green hydrogen, has potential as it produces no carbon emissions, compared to other technologies.
New research conducted by 3gem among 2,000 UK households in August this year showed 81% of the British public believe that hydrogen was the best option to decarbonise aviation.
Four in ten think it’s the most important factor while a similar number say they understand it will take hydrogen combined with other solutions such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC) to reach net zero.
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