New Report on the U.K.’s First Airside Hydrogen Refueling and Operational Trial

Hydrogen offers huge potential to deliver zero-carbon emission aviation and be a key enabler of the industry’s transition to net zero; and development of hydrogen technology for aviation has made rapid progress over the past five years. Yet a key challenge in the U.K., and similarly for other geographies, is the lack of any regulatory framework or operational guidance on the use of hydrogen storage and refueling in the airside environment at airports. 

In the U.K., this led to the formation of Project Acorn, a ground-breaking airside hydrogen refueling trial, involving easyJet, Bristol Airport, Jacobs and many other leading organizations from across aviation, engineering, logistics and academia, including the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, Cranfield University, DHL, Fuel Cell Systems, Globe Fuel Cell Systems, the IAAPS research institute, Mulag and TCR. Jacobs provided technical expertise and project management support to the trial and developed the insights and best practices shared in the post-trial report.

The airside trial at Bristol Airport in March 2024 tested the use of a hydrogen baggage tractor within easyJet’s daily operation. Project Acorn required Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) clearance for airside refueling and set out to gather data and acquire knowledge to support establishing the first industry standards and procedures for the safe airside use of hydrogen. 

The trial provided a vital step towards understanding the safety cases and risk mitigations required to underpin safety regulations for hydrogen refueling. It created the opportunity for the CAA to build experience with hydrogen and to support the process of developing the required regulation.