The first liquid hydrogen refueling station for ZEROe aircraft will be constructed at Toulouse, Blagnac airport by Airbus and ArianeGroup. In 2025, the station will be in use.
The liquid hydrogen fueling system required for Airbus’ ZEROe demonstrator’s ground and flight test program, which is scheduled to begin in the middle of this decade, will be designed, manufactured, and operated by ArianeGroup.
According to André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of ArianeGroup, “Airbus’ choice of us as partner is a vote of trust, recognizing half a century of competence in liquid hydrogen for Ariane rocket propulsion. “We are honored to be collaborating with Airbus on these initial steps toward aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen. Two industries on the cutting edge are aviation and space. To meet the problems of tomorrow, it is our job to combine our knowledge. ArianeGroup helps new industrial sectors in Europe speed up their transition to clean energy because to its special expertise and know-how in the storage, testing, and use of liquid hydrogen.
According to Sabine Klauke, Chief Technical Officer of Airbus, “Many of the technology required for a zero-emission airplane are currently available in other industries. Liquid hydrogen handling is no exception.” “We need to develop all necessary technologies concurrently in order to get a zero-emission aircraft into service in 2035. We will pursue this objective by collaborating with ArianeGroup and utilizing their well-known hydrogen expertise as well as other pertinent space technology.”
The primary manufacturer of the Ariane launch vehicles, which have been powered by liquid hydrogen for more than 40 years, is ArianeGroup.