Airbus is studying Singapore’s potential as a future hydrogen hub, jointly with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Changi Airport Group (CAG), and global industrial gases and engineering company Linde. The parties signed a co-operation agreement at the Singapore Airshow on 15 February. The two-year study will examine infrastructure requirements and supply solutions to support hydrogen-powered aircraft and airport operations at Changi, says the airport. Airbus will provide characteristics of aircraft configuration and fleet energy usage, insight on hydrogen-powered aircraft for ground operations, and data on the estimated hydrogen aircraft ramp-up at airports. Linde will contribute its expertise in hydrogen production, processing, storage and distribution. CAG will participate in assessing the feasibility of hydrogen fuel cells supporting airport operations, and establish regulations and standards. In its statement, CAAS says the partners will conduct market analysis on projected aviation demand and supply for hydrogen, regional readiness, and the commercial and technical feasibility of hydrogen adoption. Airbus states: “[The co-operation agreement] reflects the four partners’ shared ambition to leverage their respective expertise to support the decarbonisation of the aviation industry and to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.” Increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuels from 50% to 100% is a relatively short-term goal. Further out, hydrogen-powered aircraft is a really promising pathway towards zero emissions, Airbus chief technical officer Sabine Klauke said at a media briefing during the Singapore Airshow. “Hydrogen is a technology pathway which the industry has been exploring for [a long time]. [At Airbus, we were] looking into it ourselves in the early 2000s. [Despite promising results at that time, we concluded] that the technology was not yet mature enough.” Two decades on, the technology is ready and available, says Klauke, and “it’s now about adapting it towards aviation”. “It’s very safe, versatile, lightweight, high energy density. [And] hydrogen is actually coming very close to what we know from [the use of kerosene as fuel today]. And it doesn’t produce any cO2 when we use it.” Hydrogen can be burnt or used as fuel cells, and Klauke says these are options being looked into. For the technology to come to fruition, airports and infrastructure is “a critical piece in the puzzle”. “It is mandatory that all the support and the ecosystem is actually ready when we want to prepare the first zero-emission aircraft based on hydrogen in 2035,” Klauke says. “So if we are looking into this preparation for hydrogen, then it is key that we look at the airport hydrogen hub… It is [about] bringing together all the key players to the same table.” Airbus has also signed agreements for the use of hydrogen technology with partners and airports in Paris and Seoul. The partnership with Seoul Incheon International airport, Korean Air and Air Liquide was announced on 10 February.

Virgin Group has formed a strategic partnership with chemical conversion technology company Agilyx, with the aim of turning plastic waste into lower-carbon jet fuel that could potentially be used by Virgin Atlantic. The two sides say they plan to use discarded plastics that would otherwise have gone to landfill to produce synthetic crude oil, which would then be refined into fuel. Virgin Atlantic and other Virgin Group companies could become "early adopters" of the fuel, as part of efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Virgin Group says it will work with Agilyx to develop waste-to-fuel production facilities, initially in the USA but with plans to later roll out plants in other countries, including the UK. Virgin Group tells Cirium that the new fuel is "on a pathway for certification, but it's too early in the process to have achieved this already". It adds that this is why it has labelled it a lower-carbon fuel, rather than a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – for which a number of certified pathways already exist. The group says it will confirm "in due course" how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions will be saved by using the new fuel, in comparison with kerosene, but notes: "We are already confident that over the life cycle of this fuel compared with fossil fuel, it will lead to far fewer emissions." Virgin says it hopes to see the first fuel produced "in around three years". It declines to disclose how much of an investment the new partnership represents for Virgin. Agilyx, in which Virgin Group has been an investor for several years, uses a pyrolysis process to break down plastic waste and convert it into crude oil. Cyclyx, a feedstock company that is majority-owned by Agilyx, will source the plastic waste. "This platform is unique as it will be used for lower-carbon fuels and has the future opportunity for the production of circular plastics," says Agilyx chief executive Tim Stedman. Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss adds: "In this decade, sustainable aviation fuel is the key solution for decarbonisation of the aviation sector, but we have a long way to go. Clearing the skies for tomorrow requires radical collaboration across innovators, producers, investors and airlines." The partnership is the second alternative fuels announcement from Virgin in as many weeks. Earlier this month, Virgin Atlantic signed its first agreement for the commercial supply of SAF, as part of its commitment to meet a 10% sustainable aviation fuel target by 2030. The UK long-haul carrier agreed to take delivery of 2.5 million litres of SAF from Finnish energy company Neste at its London Heathrow base in the first half of this year.

Vietnam will lift Covid-19-related restrictions on regular international flights from 15 February, allowing flight frequency to return pre-pandemic levels. “As of 17:00 (UTC) on February 14, 2022, Vietnam lifted restrictions on passenger transport on scheduled and non-routine flights,” according to a 13 February statement by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. The authority has requested the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation to issue a NOTAM to reopen regular international routes following directives from Vietnam’s prime minister and transport ministry to resume regular international routes with countries and territories as per normal before the Covid-19 pandemic. Passengers entering Vietnam must comply with current regulations on immigration and medical control, it adds. Vietnam announced a gradual recommencement of international services early this year.