UK Hydrogen Airport Trial Success Paves Way for Future Research Roadmap

A new report on the UK’s first airside trial of hydrogen-powered ground support equipment (GSE) has verified that hydrogen can be safely and effectively integrated into airport ground operations, while outlining key next steps to speed up hydrogen adoption and decarbonisation in aviation. The Zero Carbon Turn project, led by Exeter Airport with partners including Cranfield University, TUI, Boeing and others, tested three distinct hydrogen technologies during a live aircraft turnaround, aiming to build operational evidence and safety cases for future net-zero airport operations. The trial achieved multiple UK firsts, with a hydrogen internal combustion tug, hydrogen fuel cell baggage tractor and hybrid hydrogen–diesel GPU all operating airside successfully.

With commercial hydrogen aircraft still some years away, the project underlines the urgent need to develop regulations and industry expertise in advance. Building on its success, a follow-up winter trial will take place at Exeter Airport later this month, focusing on a hydrogen-powered GPU simulating aircraft turnarounds in cold conditions. Funded by the Connected Places Catapult, this next phase will provide additional data on hydrogen system performance in real-world operating environments.