New Zealand Ambassador Craig Hawke toured CO2-neutral airport operations from Hamburg Airport, reflecting the climate partnership between Christchurch and Hamburg airports.
Hawke was joined by New Zealand Trade Commissioner Simon Hearsey. The purpose of the visit was to learn more about decarbonisation measures at Germany’s fifth largest airport. Partner airports already operate in a CO2-mode neutral and working on an infrastructure for the use of green hydrogen in aviation. Their common goal is to reduce fossil CO2 zero emissions.
Hamburg Airport Managing Director Michael Eggenschwiler said: “We are delighted to have an experienced partner in Christchurch Airport to promote our shared ambitious climate goals. Ambassador Hawke’s visit underlines once again that we are taking a pioneering role in decarbonisation, which is attracting attention beyond Hamburg.
“With New Zealand, we are pooling our experience in a unique way internationally to work towards CO2– free airport operations and a future with sustainably operated aircraft. This involves both ground-based H2 fueled vehicles and infrastructure for hydrogen-based aircraft propulsion. The future of power and heat supply with self-generated green electricity is also an important area of cooperation.”
The cooperation between the two airports aims, among other things, to identify technical and operational solutions that can further reduce CO2 emissions. Both partners also want to actively prepare and promote the future use of green hydrogen as an emission-free energy carrier in aviation and exploit synergy effects. In developing a hydrogen infrastructure, airports face, among other things, the challenge of developing suitable technical storage options – for example, for cryogenic liquefied hydrogen, the use of which could appear in aviation by 2035. In addition to the emphasis on vehicle fleets and future aircraft engines, emission-free energy and heat supply are also at the center of the exchange. The different approaches to the production and use of wind and photovoltaic energy for a CO2-free energy supply for the entire airport infrastructure is key to achieving Net Zero quickly and efficiently, airports said.
Picture: Craig Hawke, Michael Eggenschwiler and Simon Hearsey (Hamburg Airport / Oliver Sorg)