Airbus, Avinor, SAS, Swedavia and Vattenfall have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to investigate the feasibility of a H₂ infrastructure at airports in Sweden and Norway.

This cooperation will provide better understanding of H₂ aircraft concepts and operations, supply, infrastructures and refueling needs at airports to help develop this H₂ aviation ecosystem in both countries. The work will also identify the pathways to select which airports will be transformed first to operate H₂-powered aircraft in both countries as well as the accompanying regulatory framework.

This is the first time that a feasibility study of this kind covers two countries and more than 50 airports. It reflects the partners’ shared ambition to use their respective expertise to support the decarbonization of the aviation industry and to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“H₂ stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” said Guillaume Faury, CEO Airbus. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for H₂ production from renewable energy sources. I am very pleased to enter into this cooperation with partners fully engaged to take significant steps towards decarbonizing aerospace. It fits perfectly with our strategy of deploying H₂ aviation ecosystems in the most suitable parts of the world.”

Abraham Foss, CEO Avinor said, “H₂ is emerging as a key energy carrier in future fossil free aviation. As the owner and operator of 43 airports across Norway, Avinor has been working on sustainability for many years already and has taken a position as a driving force and facilitator for the green transition of Norwegian aviation. Our dialogue with Airbus concerning the decarbonization of aviation goes several years back and we are very happy to be able to announce this collaboration together with our good neighbors in Sweden. Norway, as well as Sweden, is well positioned to be an early mover in the introduction of H₂-powered aircraft. We look forward to contributing with our expertise as well as infrastructure to bring this important work forward.”

“As the world takes positive steps towards a more sustainable future, SAS’ commitment is to ensure that also coming generations can enjoy the benefits of seamless global connectivity. By partnering with some of the strongest and most innovative players in the industry, we are assuming our responsibility to drive the transition towards achieving net-zero emissions. A journey that matters not just for SAS, but for the entire aviation industry,” said SAS’ President & CEO Anko van der Werff.

“We are very excited to be part of a larger partnership on the role of H₂ in aviation together with Airbus, Avinor, SAS and Vattenfall. Swedavia, Avinor and SAS already have established successful collaborations in fossil-free aviation, and it is therefore exciting that Airbus, with its extensive knowledge of H₂-powered aircraft through its ZEROe initiative, and Vattenfall, with its expertise in electricity and energy production, are joining us in a more in-depth collaboration. H₂ is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry's fuel mix in the future and will therefore have an increasing effect on the infrastructure and planning of our airports. This partnership is a major and important step towards fossil-free aviation in the Nordic region and will further strengthen Swedavia's role as a front-runner in fossil-free aviation, while at the same time taking another important step in the transition within the aviation industry," said Jonas Abrahamsson, Swedavia's president and CEO.

“We want to enable industry decarbonization. Aviation is a hard to abate industry were breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge today. This cross border collaboration however demonstrates the willingness to bring about change. We look forward to contributing with expertise in electricity market development, electrical infrastructure and H₂ production in Sweden,” said Anna Borg, President and CEO, Vattenfall.

The use of H₂ to power future aircraft is not only expected to significantly reduce aircraft emissions in the air but could also help decarbonize air transport activities on the ground. In 2020, Airbus unveiled the first ZEROe concept with the ambition to bring to market the world's first H2-powered commercial aircraft by 2035. The development of the corresponding technology bricks is now underway in a global Research & Technology network.

Airbus also launched the “H₂ Hub at Airports” program to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations, across the entire value chain. To date agreements have been signed with partners and airports in ten countries including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.