Hydrogen fuel expected to help cut Singapore's aviation emissions: study

Singapore's aviation sector could consume up to 50 mt/day of liquid hydrogen from the 2040s, and up to 600 mt/day beyond 2050, as the fuel is expected to play a role in making the sector more environmentally sustainable, said the Singapore Hydrogen Cooperation Committee Feb. 22 following a study.

The early technical feasibility study's scenarios are based on future hydrogen aircraft with capacities of 100 to 200 passengers, an operating range of 1,000 to 2,000 nautical miles, and entering service between 2035 and 2040 in Singapore.

Although the study showed that hydrogen-fueled planes can fly to 74 airports in 20 Asia Pacific countries and territories from Singapore, its feasibility will also depend on factors like hydrogen capabilities at destination airports, as well as airlines' commercial considerations.

The study also identified scenarios where Changi Airport's infrastructure could support the progressive deployment of large-scale liquid hydrogen supply, the committee added. The committee was formed following an agreement signed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Changi Airport Group, Airbus and Linde in 2022.

The study was undertaken by the committee to ensure that Singapore will be ready to incorporate liquid hydrogen in its aviation sector when the technology becomes feasible, as it is still under development.

"Hydrogen technology is still in its nascency, with many uncertainties and the industry is working hard to study aspects such as operations, safety, regulation and economics. These need to be examined further. As the aviation industry progresses on its sustainability journey, it is prudent to take a phased approach as air hubs study how best to support the use of hydrogen by aircraft," said Changi Airport Group's Senior Vice President Poh Li San.

"While the near-term focus is on the wider adoption of sustainable aviation fuels in aircraft operations, hydrogen can potentially play a complementary role as a sustainable energy fuel in the longer term," said CAAS Director-General Han Kok Juan.

"CAAS has shared some of the key findings from the study with relevant government agencies for longer-term national planning for demand of hydrogen and will continue to monitor signposts around the development of hydrogen technology for aircraft operations."

This comes several days after Singapore mandated the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for departing flights from 2026, as well as a direct levy on travelers to fund SAF purchases as part of its Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint.

The blueprint also stated that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore is participating in a regional study to develop a roadmap to determine the availability and sustainability of SAF feedstock in Southeast Asia, as well as identify feasible production pathways that meet international criteria.

Boeing – which leads the study with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials – said Feb. 20 on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow that findings and recommendations from the study will be released later this year.

The industry expects hydrogen fuel to be commerciallyavailablefor short haul flights from 2040, and potentially for some medium haul flights over the same period. However, SAF is still expected to be the solution to cut emissions from long haul flights from now until 2050, according to the Waypoint 2050 report by the Air Transport Action Group.

The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, had estimated that SAF could contribute around 65% of emission reductions needed by the aviation sector to reach net zero goals by 2050.