An innovative aviation H₂ handling and refueling project, led by Airbus and supported by academic partners, airport operators and leading H₂-industry companies, has been launched to demonstrate small-scale liquid H₂ aircraft ground operations at three European airports.

The urge to decarbonize our economy and to develop Europe’s energy independence is leading to a major trend of H₂ for mobility and stationary applications. H₂ will also be a solution to decarbonize short- and medium-haul aviation and will be crucial for the advancement of low-carbon aviation operations.

The GOLIAT consortium consists of 10 partners from eight countries: Airbus (France, Germany, UK), Chart Industries (Czech Republic, Italy), TU Delft (Netherlands), Leibniz University Hannover (Germany), Royal Schiphol Group (Netherlands), Rotterdam the Hague Airport (Netherlands), Vinci Airports (France, Portugal), Stuttgart Airport (Germany), H2FLY (Germany), and Budapest Airport (Hungary).

The group will support the aviation industry’s adoption of LH₂ transportation and energy storage solutions by:

• Developing and demonstrating LH₂ refueling technologies scaled-up for future large commercial aircraft
• Demonstrating small-scale LH₂ aircraft ground operations at airports
• Developing the standardization and certification framework for future LH₂ operations
• Assessing the sizing and economics of the H₂ value chains for airports.

As a clean and efficient fuel, LH₂ offers a promising solution for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with airport operations and their dependence on fossil fuels. LH₂’s high energy density enables long-range travel for aircraft, yet there are many steps to the widespread deployment of H₂ at airports, including the need to better understand the operational, regulatory, economic and safety impacts, as well as the capacity and performance of technologies.

“It is a privilege to work with the esteemed GOLIAT Consortium partners and progress decarbonization in heavy transport through the value chain,” said Jill Evanko, Chart’s CEO and President. “With over 158 years of experience in H₂ technology, process and equipment, we are excited to share our expertise to further progress the liquid H₂ application in mobility and transport as well as the associated infrastructure.”