Tallinn Airport joins Baltic Sea region HyAirport project

Tallinn Airport joins BSR HyAirport project

Tallinn Airport has joined the Baltic Sea region (BSR) HyAirport project, which aims to amass knowledge and create conditions for the adoption of hydrogen in aviation. The three-year project involves airports, airlines, research establishments and technology companies in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Poland and Germany.

Riivo Tuvike, the chairman of the management board of Tallinn Airport, says it is clear that in the future planes will fly and the technology needed to serve passengers will run on green energy. “Technology is developing so quickly these days that we need to start preparing if we want to be ready for the adoption of alternative fuels,” he remarked. “They will include both electricity and hydrogen, the latter of which is an area we need more information about. And that’s why we joined the project. It won’t result in ready-made infrastructure, but in knowledge and contacts that will help airports prepare for alternative fuels being taken into use.”

The Baltic Sea region HyAirport aims to develop, test and evaluate practical solutions that will facilitate the adoption of hydrogen by airports and airlines. It will also examine best practice in the storage, handling and supplying of hydrogen. Moreover, it is important that legislation supports the process of adopting hydrogen as a whole.

Tuvike says Tallinn Airport has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025 and climate neutrality by 2030. “To do both those things, we have to work every day to reduce our impact on the environment,” he said. “We’ll gain the greatest benefits once we’ve given up on fossil fuels completely and made the switch to green fuels. We’ve been making exclusive use of paraffin fuel produced from renewable sources throughout the airport since summer 2023, which is helping us substantially reduce the impact of our operations. And in order to be a pioneer and set an example to others, we’re going one step further to promote a smaller footprint among airlines as well.”