TUI Flight Turnaround Powered by Hydrogen

TUI Flight at Exeter Airport

Fantastic to support a ground breaking project at Exeter Airport, with our HyQube refueller. In a first for the UK, a TUI Boeing 737 passenger aircraft completed a turnaround using ground support equipment powered by green hydrogen. A partnership between the airport, TUI, Cranfield University, ULEMCo Ltd, MULAG and Boeing and supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority Hydrogen Challenge Programme, led to a successful trial with onsite refuelling by FCSL's HyQube modular refuelling system utilising green hydrogen from Protium.

The live demonstration involved a hydrogen-powered baggage tug, pushback tug and ground power unit. It is the first time in the UK – and possibly the world – that multiple pieces of hydrogen-powered equipment have been used simultaneously for a commercial air transport operational aircraft and using ‘green’ hydrogen from renewable energy sources.

HyQube from FCSL and green hydrogen from Protium

Contributing to an academic study led by Cranfield University, the learnings from the trial are expected to help shape the future safety and regulatory framework for the airside handling of hydrogen, paving the way for hydrogen-fuelled aircraft in the years to come.

In preparation for the trial, a comprehensive study of Exeter Airport’s ground handling operations during aircraft turnarounds was conducted by Cranfield University in partnership with Exeter Airport and TUI.

The study showed that over 78,000 litres of diesel fuel were consumed in a 12-month period, resulting in nearly 200 tonnes of CO2e emissions. Ground Power Units (GPUs), which provide electrical power to aircraft when they are parked on stand, emerged as the single largest source of emissions, accounting for nearly 39% of the total. The trial at Exeter Airport used vehicles retrofitted with different hydrogen technologies: hydrogen fuel cell (baggage tractor), hydrogen internal combustion (aircraft tug), and a hybrid dual-fuel (hydrogen-diesel) GP.

HyQube hydrogen refueller and Protium green hydrogen

The trial forms part of the CAA’s wider Hydrogen Challenge, funded through the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, which is overseen by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The fund has most recently supported a diverse range of projects aimed at enabling UK regulators and local authorities to help create a UK regulatory environment that encourages business innovation and investment.

The Hydrogen Challenge initiative supports the Government’s Jet Zero ambitions by enabling safe, early adoption of low- and zero-emission aviation technology and infrastructure. The programme brings together regulators, academia and industry to address the regulatory, safety and operational challenges of introducing hydrogen into aviation.