Kansai Airports Partners Airbus to Study Use of Hydrogen in Aviation

(13 June 2022, 14:07 +07)  Kansai Airports has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to explore the use of hydrogen at three of the group’s airports in Japan (Kansai International Airport (KIX), Osaka International Airport (ITM) and Kobe Airport (UKB).

Through this partnership, Airbus and Kansai Airports will leverage their complementary expertise to help define the potential opportunities that hydrogen can offer in support of the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.

Airbus will provide aircraft characteristics, fleet energy usage and insight on hydrogen-powered aircraft for ground operations, while Kansai Airports will study the infrastructure required at the airports for the introduction of hydrogen-fuelled aircraft.

Stéphane Ginoux (left), Head of North Asia region for Airbus and President of Airbus Japan, and Benoit Rulleau, Representative Director and Co-CEO of Kansai Airports.

“We have set a target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for the three airports we operate, and this partnership with leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus will help us reach this goal,” said Yoshiyuki Yamaya, Representative Director and CEO of Kansai Airports.

Airbus is already working in partnership with airports around the world including a MOU with VINCI Airports, to lead the scale-up of hydrogen use in the aviation industry.

The MOU with Kansai Airports is the first one Airbus has signed with an airport operator in Japan and follows the one signed with Kawasaki Heavy Industries last month to work together towards the realisation of a hydrogen society in Japan.

“We are very pleased to have Kansai Airports, one of Japan's major airport groups, on board,” said Stéphane Ginoux, Head of North Asia region for Airbus and President of Airbus Japan. “Hydrogen is one of the most promising zero-emission technologies as it can be created from renewable energy and does not produce emissions. Renewable hydrogen will help decarbonise not only aircraft but also all airport-associated ground transport.”

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