Airbus, Snam and SAVE have signed an MoU to promote the use of hydrogen as a sustainable energy carrier.

The three companies will share a common strategy aimed at helping to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from airport activities, focusing on Marco Polo Airport in Venice, which is managed by SAVE. The partnership will cover a number of areas, starting with future needs and technological options, leading to the identification of technical and implementation solutions that will be tested through pilot projects and then rolled out on a large scale.

“This agreement with Snam and Airbus is a key step along the path taken by our Group with a view to the ecological transition and decarbonisation of its airports,” Monica Scarpa, CEO of SAVE Group. “The specific nature and value of this project to study and apply hydrogen in the aviation sector, consist, in particular, in sharing expertise covering the entire chain, from production, storage, supply and use for commercial aeronautics of this fuel, which can make a major contribution to the energy challenge facing our planet. For Venice Airport, it means making an active contribution to the effort to reduce harmful emissions, in line with our city’s goal of becoming an international sustainability capital.”

The engineering and design studies under the agreement will include the technological infrastructure needed to refuel both aircraft and airport vehicles with hydrogen, with the possibility of evaluating effective solutions for energy needs related to airport accessibility, making the entire airport system zero emission. An intermodal synergy with road and rail transport could also be activated.

Together, Snam, SAVE and Airbus will be able to develop innovative technologies and end-to-end solutions based on hydrogen and aimed at both Venice Airport and other potential users, as well as participating in grant programmes and public tenders at both national and European level.