ALRIGH2T

Airport-level demonstration of ground refuelling of liquid hydrogen for aviation.

• Aviation is a cornerstone of global connectivity but also a sector under increasing pressure to decarbonize.  Liquid hydrogen (LH₂) is one of the most promising alternatives. It combines high energy density with zero CO₂ emissions at the point of use. Yet today, airports lack the infrastructure, operational protocols, and regulatory frameworks needed to deploy it safely and efficiently at scale.

ALRIGH2T directly addresses this gap by pioneering the first airport-level demonstrations of LH₂ refuelling for aviation in Europe. Demonstrations will take place at two major airports, Milan Malpensa and Paris, to validate solutions under different operational contexts and ensure broad applicability. The overall objectives of ALRIGH2T are to: 

• To define the technical requirements and boundary conditions for safe, feasible, and efficient LH₂ refuelling in European airports.
• To develop and validate innovative components, including centrifugal pumps, instrumented tanks, advanced sensors, and digital twin models.
• To demonstrate both direct LH₂ refuelling and end-to-end logistics and supply chain solutions at Milan Malpensa and Paris airports, with technologies reaching TRL 6 by 2027.
• To establish regulatory, safety, and environmental frameworks that will guide future certification and standardization of LH₂ operations.
• To share project results broadly, engage with stakeholders and EU initiatives, and ensure a clear pathway to industrial uptake and long-term impact.
• The pathway to impact follows a stepwise approach. First, demand, feasibility, and techno-economic aspects are assessed. Next, critical components, logistics processes, and virtual models are designed, built, and tested. Finally, integrated demonstrations at airports provide the evidence needed for validation and scale-up. This ensures that results are not isolated prototypes but practical solutions ready for regulatory approval and operational deployment.

ALRIGH2T will enable airports to refuel hydrogen-powered aircraft, support the entry into service of zero-emission aviation by 2035, and accelerate the decarbonisation of airport ground operations. Beyond aviation, advances in cryogenic hydrogen management, logistics modelling, safety analysis, and digital simulation will benefit other hydrogen-intensive sectors.