Greening Regional Airports: A Vision for Carbon Neutral Infrastructure

This study provides an overview of the energy demand of a regional airport, divided into individual time horizons. The electrification of aircraft systems raises the question of whether airports will be among the largest electricity consumers in our infrastructure in the future. Sustainability and especially emission reductions are significant challenges for airports that are currently being addressed. The Clean Sky 2 project GENESIS addresses the environmental sustainability of hybrid-electric 50-passenger aircraft systems in a life cycle perspective to support the development of a technology roadmap for the transition to sustainable and competitive electric aircraft systems. This article originates from the GENESIS research and describes various options for ground power supply at a regional airport. Potential solutions for airport infrastructure with a short (2030), medium (2040), and long (2050) time horizon are proposed. In addition to the environmental and conservation benefits, switching from fossil fuels to sustainably produced fuels is also financially attractive for airports, airlines, and travelers. This analysis includes estimating the future energy demand per day, month, and year. In addition, the current flight plan based on conventional aircraft is adapted to the needs of a 50-PAX regional aircraft. The findings confirm that airports will require an enormous amount of electrical energy due to the electrification of air traffic.