Airbus, easyJet, London Gatwick and Air Products - one of the world’s largest hydrogen producers - have formed the London Gatwick Hydrogen Hub
The partners will now work together to establish how infrastructure to supply hydrogen – including to fuel new types of aircraft – could be introduced across the airport in an important first step toward possible zero-carbon flights from London Gatwick.
Airbus launched the ‘Hydrogen Hub at Airports’ programme to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations. The programme is a prerequisite to support the widespread scale-up and adoption of zero emission hydrogen-powered aircraft, which Airbus aims to bring into commercial service from 2035.
Because early hydrogen-powered aircraft will initially focus on short-to-medium haul routes, London Gatwick’s position as the UK’s leading hub for these services, along with easyJet’s operational insight as a short haul carrier, makes the London Gatwick Hydrogen Hub an ideal testbed for research and development into this critical support infrastructure.
Under Airbus’ Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, the scope of work covers liquid hydrogen supply and storage at the airport, refuelling and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft, as well as the exploration of other, shorter-term opportunities for using hydrogen at London Gatwick.
London Gatwick is part of the VINCI Airports network, the world's leading private airport operator with over 70 airports in 14 countries. Following this announcement, London Gatwick, Lyon-Saint Exupery, and Kansai have formed Hydrogen Hubs in partnership with Airbus, as part of the VINCI Airports’ decarbonisation strategy to develop carbon-free hydrogen infrastructure.
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, London Gatwick, said: “Alongside sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen stands out as having real potential to help us decarbonise Scope 3 emissions at the airport, particularly for the short haul aircraft that dominate London Gatwick’s operations. In parallel, we’ve accelerated our plans and aim to be net zero for the emissions we control – Scope 1 and 2 - ten years early, by 2030. We still have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to do, but this new, exciting partnership is an important early step toward reaching our net zero ambitions.”
Airbus Vice President ZEROe Project Glenn Llewellyn said: “Our licence to operate hinges on finding better ways to fly. We know hydrogen has the versatility to be an excellent fuel source for decarbonising the industry. We’ve set ambitious targets to fly on hydrogen by 2035 and this technology needs to be supported by reliable and tested infrastructure. Sharing knowledge and best practice at airports will be critical for building the right hydrogen ecosystem around the world, and we look forward to working with all consortium members to develop the support for the technology and end-to-end hydrogen supply chain that will power future flight.”
David Morgan, Chief Operating Officer, easyJet, said: “Hydrogen is going to play an important role in decarbonising aviation, so we need to lay the groundwork now to make that happen. The Gatwick hub is another positive signal and demonstrates the industry’s intent to both adapt and work together to reach the common goal of decarbonising aviation. Combined with support from regulators and policymakers, I’ve no doubt that projects like this will act as the building blocks to prepare UK airports for a hydrogen transition – something that will be critical to achieving our net zero ambitions.”
Suzanne Lowe, Vice President and General Manager, United Kingdom, Ireland, Israel and Italy, Air Products, said: “We’re incredibly pleased to contribute Air Products’ decades of experience producing and distributing hydrogen to this exciting project. The Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework is an important milestone in paving the way for sustainable aviation and future proofing the UK economy. Air Products is committed to helping the UK become a global leader in low carbon hydrogen production. We look forward to collaborating with our partners and government leaders on this project and to unlock further investments in renewable hydrogen. These include our plans for a large-scale renewable hydrogen facility in Immingham.”
Pioneering sustainable aerospace
London Gatwick’s Chief Technical Officer, Cédric Laurier (second from right), joined a panel of industry leaders at an Airbus press conference at the Farnborough International Airshow in July.
The panel was chaired by Julie Kitcher (centre), Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Airbus, and showcased several exciting global partnerships and innovations to scale up the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). These initiatives will support Airbus in its objective of enabling all its commercial and military aircraft to be able to operate on 100% SAF by 2030.
Cédric used the high-profile opportunity to discuss the details of the new London Gatwick Hydrogen Hub to an interested audience of journalists, government, and industry stakeholders.
London Gatwick charity funding helps East Surrey Hospital
A new outdoor space for cancer patients at East Surrey Hospital has opened, with help from funding secured by a London Gatwick colleague.
London Gatwick security officer, Scott Houghton, nominated SASH Charity (the charity for East Surrey Hospital and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust) to receive funding from the VINCI UK Foundation to build the summerhouse at the MacMillan Cancer Centre.
London Gatwick contributes to the VINCI UK Foundation each year, which supports projects that promote social cohesion and fight exclusion. The projects are nominated by colleagues as part of a wider VINCI network initiative to promote work in local communities.
The cancer centre at East Surrey Hospital provides a range of holistic support to people and their families from across Surrey and Sussex who are receiving cancer treatment. The new garden summerhouse will provide a quiet outdoor space away from a clinical setting to allow private conversations or quiet time in the garden.
The VINCI UK Foundation provided £5,000 of funding towards the summerhouse following Scott's nomination. He said: “My son previously received treatment at East Surrey Hospital and since then I have supported SASH with fundraising and recently with the support grant from the VINCI UK Foundation.
“The centre provides a vital bridge between the clinical care provided in hospitals and supporting people in the community. The new summerhouse will help the cancer centre team to use the centre’s spaces more flexibly, and to provide support in a new environment, as well as directly increasing the access available to the community for less formal meetings and support groups.”
Andrew Bickerdike, Head of SASH Charity, said: “Here at London Gatwick’s local hospitals, we are incredibly grateful to Scott for nominating us for this grant. The links between the airport, the local hospitals and our local community are deep, and this support from the VINCI Foundation has made a really positive impact for people affected by cancer in our local area.”
London Gatwick contributed a further £20,000 to the VINCI UK Foundation for 2024, and the grants for the latest round of recipients have been announced. Crawley Film Initiative, a community film production company; Freeshop Crawley, a community hub for those facing poverty; Time4Children, free one-to-one emotional listening support for young children; and Learning Space, a children and young people's mental health charity based in Surrey will all receive funding from the foundation following bids from airport colleagues.
Melanie Wrightson, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, London Gatwick said: “Helping the community is part of what we do at London Gatwick. We are so pleased to offer a helping hand through the VINCI UK Foundation, in addition to the London Gatwick Foundation Fund, the Gatwick Airport Community Trust and numerous staff initiatives and fundraising activities every year.
“In 2023, London Gatwick donated more than £750,000 to local charities across Sussex, Surrey, Kent and beyond, the highest ever amount in a single year.”
