Airbus, Kansai Airports, and Kawasaki Team Up for Hydrogen Aircraft Rollout

Many aerospace companies are adopting hydrogen-based energy strategies to meet their carbon neutrality goals by 2050.

Recently, Airbus, Kansai Airports, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Kawasaki) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at three airports in the Kansai region: Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport, and Kobe Airport.

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Through this MoU, the partners will conduct an initial feasibility study under the “Hydrogen Hub at Airports” program. The goal is to assess the introduction and operation of hydrogen-powered aircraft and strengthen collaboration to enable the supply of hydrogen at these airports.

Airbus has been collaborating with Kawasaki to develop a hydrogen-fueled ecosystem, with Kawasaki leveraging its expertise as a leading hydrogen solution provider to design end-to-end cryogenic hydrogen supply networks.

Kawasaki’s experience in airport infrastructure, including baggage handling systems, further enhances this partnership.

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The initial studies provided a solid foundation on hydrogen infrastructure at airports, leading to a second phase of feasibility studies. This collaboration between Airbus, Kansai Airports, and Kawasaki combines insights from both supply chain and airport operations.

As part of the partnership, Airbus conducted a liquid Airbus demand forecast, estimating that initial aircraft operations, would need a few tons of liquid hydrogen per day, potentially increasing to several hundred tons per day by 2050.

Airbus sees strong potential for hydrogen aviation in Kansai and other regions, supported by favorable policies.