(Hamburg) – The “BSR HyAirport” project is entering its next phase and has now officially launched. Sixteen airports, airlines, research institutions, and technology companies from Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Poland, and Germany are working together with 24 associated partners to better connect rural Baltic Sea regions to existing air hubs using hydrogen-powered small aircraft.
The goal is to create the conditions for hydrogen-powered flights within the next three years. As previously reported , the first demonstration flights are planned to take place in the Baltic Sea region before the end of this decade. Regular air service with regional aircraft with up to 80 seats is also expected.
Hydrogen as a key technology
The consortium wants to “develop, test and evaluate practical solutions to make it easier for airports and airlines to use this key technology,” it said in a statement. This also includes storage, handling and provision of green hydrogen. In order to enable demonstration flights between the partner airports during the project period, those involved are also concentrating, among other things, on the special features of handling hydrogen-powered aircraft.
In addition, the legal framework, the supply chain with local production, transport of hydrogen to the airport, storage and refueling would be examined. The use of the energy source, for example for ground technology, should also be tested. The conversion of part of the ground transport services to hydrogen power is a key component of the “Net Zero 2035” project, with which Hamburg Airport aims to be CO2035-emission-free in ground operations by 2.
Almost all well-known airport operators around the Baltic Sea are involved, including Finavia, Swedavia, Lithuanian Airports, Riga Airport and Tallinn Airport. Since the project aims, among other things, to revive regional air traffic, smaller airports and regional airlines are also involved, in Germany including Sylt Airport, Sylt Air, Lübeck Air and Lübeck Airport.
The EU is funding “BSR HyAirport” in the Interreg Baltic Sea Region program with a total of around 3,8 million euros. Hamburg Airport is contributing another 1,1 million euros, the company said in November.
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The BSR consortium has officially launched the “HyAirport” project. © Hamburg Airport / Oliver Sorg
