Air Liquide, Airbus and Korean Air agree to use hydrogen at Incheon Airport

Air Liquide, Airbus, Korean Air and Incheon International Airport Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the use of hydrogen at Incheon International Airport.

The collaboration will also study the development of Korean airport infrastructure to support the deployment of hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.

The four partners will prepare a roadmap to first develop hydrogen usages at and around Incheon Airport and build scenarios to support the deployment of hydrogen ecosystems connected to other Korean airports.

As a second step, the partnership focuses on carrying out studies aimed at defining and developing the required liquid infrastructure at Incheon Airport to prepare the arrival of the first hydrogen-powered aircraft.

Each partner will leverage their complementary expertise to help define the potential opportunities that hydrogen offers and support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry.

Air Liquide will bring extensive expertise in mastering the entire hydrogen value chain, particularly liquid hydrogen supply. Airbus will provide hydrogen-powered aircraft ground operations and aircraft characteristics and fleet energy usage characteristics, while Korean Air will provide expertise on-ground aircraft operations and aviation management and operations.

Incheon International Airport Corporation will provide an airport development plan outlook, along with air traffic characteristics and distribution among terminals, starting with Incheon International Airport.

Air Liquide already invested in two high-capacity hydrogen stations at Incheon Airport. They started in August 2021 and serve hydrogen fuel cell buses, cars, and demonstration trucks and supply hydrogen molecules to the stations under a long-term contract.

Francois Abrial, Executive at Air Liquide, said, “Momentum is building around hydrogen, notably with initiatives to accelerate the development of a more sustainable aviation.”