H2FLY and Stuttgart Airport (STR) have announced a joint project to construct a Hydrogen Aviation Centre at Stuttgart Airport in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
The centre will be managed by H2FLY, which specialises in the development of hydrogen fuel cell systems for aircraft.
It will create a central facility for businesses to develop concepts for zero-emission hydrogen-electric aviation, prior to testing them on the ground and in the air within the airport environment.
propulsion systems for passenger aviation
Walter Schoefer, CEO of Flughafen Stuttgart said:We’ve been supporting research into the use of hydrogen in aviation for many years. The Hydrogen Aviation Center at Stuttgart Airport is an important stage on the road to zero-emission flying. Aviation urgently needs new answers to climate change. The Centre of Excellence for Hydrogen in Aviation combines world-class science with a pioneering spirit, and will make important contributions to the future of flying.
Scheduled to open in late 2024, the Hydrogen Aviation Centre will consist of a hangar with test stands and workshops for installing and adapting zero-emission aircraft propulsion systems. It will also feature an outdoor area where hydrogen technologies can be tested in aircraft demonstrators.
This infrastructure will enable companies to develop megawatt-scale components and subsystems in order to integrate and test hydrogen-electric powertrains.
Its construction is supported by Baden-Württemberg with funding from its Ministry of Transport.
Winfried Kretschmann, Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg said:We’ve been following our own hydrogen roadmap in Baden-Württemberg for two years. With hydrogen set to play a crucial role in tomorrow’s transport and logistics sector, one of our aims is to establish ourselves as a leading region in the transformation of aviation. To achieve this, we need concrete actions – such as the new Centre of Excellence for Hydrogen in Aviation at Stuttgart Airport which is being co-financed by the government of Baden-Württemberg to the tune of €5.5 million.
Aircraft such as those being developed here point the way to the future of emission-free flight. This project will enable our region to become not just a center of R&D for hydrogen aircraft, but eventually also a manufacturing centre, and demonstrate how we are countering climate change with a spirit of innovation.
