AIRPORT MANAGEMENT FlyZero, a UK study into zero-carbon emission commercial air travel, is calling for a new generation of aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, by 2035 all working from home, we became more digitally enabled and we shopped a lot more online – does this mean that the way in which we sell commercial products at airports is going to change, with fewer shops and more digital enablement, so perhaps terminals don’t have to be so big? Or does it mean that the space we’ve got can be reconfigured? I don’t think we know the answer yet. However, we know that those pressures are coming because of changing buyer behavior and technology. All these things need to be taken into consideration, whereas 20 years ago it was primarily just passenger forecasts.” Fuel for thought When asked to name one trend or shift that could really affect the future of aviation, Heathrow’s Dickie pinpoints the potential switch to hydrogen-powered flight as being particularly disruptive. “Heathrow is over 75 years old, and every aircraft that has ever used the airport has, to date, used the same type of fuel,” he says. “Use of sustainable aviation fuels is increasing but this doesn’t require any change to infrastructure. However, we now face a future where there might be multiple types of fuel. When we think about bringing hydrogen into an airport, although it may not have much of an impact on the passenger journey itself or within the terminal, it is clearly going to have huge implications for the wider real estate and it is going to have a very tangible impact on the marketplace. “Let’s take how we get the hydrogen to the site. Will it be similar to aviation fuel, which currently comes in via a network of pipelines? If so, it is going to need to come in as a gas and then be liquefied on-site. How much power is that going to take and how much space is that going to need? “Once liquefied, it must be kept at an extremely low temperature, but how do you then supply it to the aircraft stands, given the current standards are based on aviation fuel? It’s hugely space hungry. It’s hugely infrastructure hungry. And it is hugely uncertain in terms of the proportion of aircraft that might use hydrogen at an airport like Heathrow – it could be a very small percentage or it could be a very large percentage. This is the masterplanning challenge – we must plan for the infrastructure that’s going to enable the phased implementation of hydrogen operations, so even if we have the same number of aircraft and passengers as we have today, the impact is clearly going to be substantial.” We now face a future where there might be multiple types of fuel Ross Dickie, London Heathrow Vertical vectors Heathrow has committed to cut emissions by 45% on the ground and 15% in the air by 2030 Urban air mobility (UAM) is another disruptive force that masterplanners must factor in. In January, the UK Civil Aviation Authority launched a consultation on design proposals for vertiports at existing airfields, paving the way for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations in the UK. “Every airport is looking at how urban air mobility might be integrated with their operations, the services it might provide and whether eVTOLs can be integrated with existing aircraft operations without unacceptable impacts, which is far from being a given,” notes Gibson. “There is little doubt that UAM has an exciting role to play in the future of urban mobility. The question is whether this is at airports with their complex and congested airspace.” Dickie says, “The Heathrow runways are among the busiest in the world. While we’re following the UAM industry with interest, we would need to ensure that any UAM developments don’t compromise runway capacity.” Despite all the challenges and potential scenarios, Dickie believes masterplanning is easier than actually delivering a major airport upgrade: “In many ways, producing a masterplan can be the easy bit to start with. Working out how you are going to get planning consent and then deliver it on time and in budget is when it starts to become a lot more challenging. “The masterplan is also about what you’re safeguarding, as well as what you’re building. Try to keep your options as open as possible, and make sure that the masterplan is used as a development tool to ensure that short-term decisions and opportunities don’t end up impacting the long-term strategy.” www.PassengerTerminalToday.com 50 Passenger Terminal World APRIL 2024