Airbus acknowledges London Gatwick's entry into the international hydrogen aviation alliance
In the pursuit of a greener future for aviation, several key players are making strides towards hydrogen-powered flights. However, as of mid-2025, a formal, joint initiative among Airbus, easyJet, London Gatwick, and Air Products explicitly targeting operational hydrogen-powered flights by 2035 has not been publicly disclosed or documented.
Airbus, with its upcoming long-haul blended-wing body hydrogen plane, is actively progressing with hydrogen-powered aircraft technologies and expanding partnerships within the hydrogen aerospace sector [1]. EasyJet, on the other hand, is engaging in partnerships aimed at accelerating hydrogen adoption, but these partnerships are primarily with aerospace companies like GKN Aerospace, not directly with London Gatwick or Air Products [5].
London Gatwick has not been mentioned recently as a centerpiece in hydrogen aviation initiatives involving these companies. Despite this, the airport's CEO, Stewart Wingate, aims to be net zero for the emissions the airport controls by 2030 and sees hydrogen as having real potential to help decarbonize Scope 3 emissions [2].
Meanwhile, the Hydrogen Hub at Airports programme, launched by Airbus, aims to promote the further expansion of hydrogen infrastructure in aviation. The programme has signed agreements with partners and airports in 13 countries, including VINCI Airports' London Gatwick, Lyon Saint Exupéry, and Kansai airports [4]. Under Airbus' Hydrogen Hubs at Airports framework, the scope of work includes liquid hydrogen supply and storage, refueling, and ground handling of hydrogen aircraft [4].
Air Products, a company committed to helping the UK become a global leader in low carbon hydrogen production, has plans for a large-scale renewable hydrogen facility in Immingham [3]. The company is also pleased to contribute its decades of experience in producing and distributing hydrogen to the partnership with easyJet and Airbus [6].
The collaboration between these entities will focus on shorter-term opportunities for using hydrogen at London Gatwick, particularly for short to medium haul routes [7]. David Morgan, COO of easyJet, believes hydrogen will play an important role in decarbonizing aviation, and projects like this will act as building blocks for a hydrogen transition [6]. Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus' Vice President of the ZEROe Project, stated that the technology needs to be supported by reliable and tested infrastructure [7].
In a separate development, easyJet and Airbus are expanding their partnership to include Hydrogen South West, an infrastructure ecosystem aiming to bring hydrogen benefits to the South West of England [8]. VINCI Airports, the world's leading private airport operator, is also forming Hydrogen Hubs in partnership with Airbus as part of its decarbonisation strategy to develop carbon-free hydrogen infrastructure [9].
While a joint initiative among all four entities specifically aligned on hydrogen-powered flights from Gatwick by 2035 has not been publicly disclosed, the individual efforts of these companies towards hydrogen aviation and infrastructure are certainly worth noting. As the race to a greener future heats up, it's only a matter of time before we see more formal collaborations and breakthroughs in hydrogen-powered flights.
[1] https://www.airbus.com/innovation/en/topics/zero-emission-aircraft.html [2] https://www.gatwickairport.com/news/latest-news/gatwick-airport-ceo-stewart-wingate-interviewed-by-the-times [3] https://www.airproducts.com/en-gb/news/news-releases/2021/air-products-to-build-largest-renewable-hydrogen-plant-in-the-uk [4] https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/06/airbus-and-vinci-airports-announce-hydrogen-hub-at-airports-partnership.html [5] https://www.easyjet.com/en/newsroom/news-and-announcements/easyjet-and-airbus-partnership-to-accelerate-hydrogen-adoption-in-aviation [6] https://www.airproducts.com/en-gb/news/news-releases/2021/air-products-and-easyjet-partner-to-accelerate-hydrogen-adoption-in-aviation [7] https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2021/06/airbus-and-easyjet-partner-to-accelerate-hydrogen-adoption-in-aviation [8] https://www.easyjet.com/en/newsroom/news-and-announcements/easyjet-and-airbus-partnership-to-accelerate-hydrogen-adoption-in-aviation [9] https://www.vinci-airports.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/vinci-airports-and-airbus-launch-the-hydrogen-hub-at-airports-programme
Technology plays a significant role in the hydrogen-powered aircraft initiatives by Airbus, Air Products, and VINCI Airports, as they strive to expand the hydrogen infrastructure in aviation. EasyJet, while engaging in partnerships with aerospace companies, is also recognizing the potential of hydrogen for decarbonizing aviation.
