Airports and the Advancement of Net-Zero Aviation Innovation

This report details insights from two RMI workshops held in Utah and Colorado focused on airport infrastructure planning for net-zero aviation. It identifies sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the most immediate solution and outlines the long-term infrastructure, operational, and regulatory requirements for integrating hydrogen and electric aircraft, particularly within regional markets in the Intermountain West.

• Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is identified as the most accessible and least disruptive near-term decarbonization solution due to the commercial readiness of pathways like hydroprocessed ethers and fatty acids (HEFA), alcohol to jet (AtJ), and power to liquids (PTL).
• The adoption of hydrogen and electric aircraft will require a fundamental redesign of airport infrastructure, including fueling logistics, terminal design, and gate operations. Hydrogen operations are expected to enter the market first via regional commercial and cargo sectors, while electric aircraft will likely begin with flight training and short-distance feeder routes.
• Airports face significant electrical grid challenges to support net-zero aviation. Existing infrastructure is likely insufficient for the combined loads of electric aircraft, ground support equipment (GSE) charging, and hydrogen production or liquefaction.
• Airports are structurally limited in leading the transition because they do not control fuel demand and must wait for aircraft to pass FAA certification processes. Investment typically follows aircraft offtake agreements and route decisions made by airlines.
• Operational safety and reliability are paramount, requiring 100 percent uptime and the development of new Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) procedures for hydrogen-specific emergencies, such as thermal runaway or fuel spills.
• A preliminary analysis of routes in Utah and Colorado suggests that long-haul flights from major hubs like Salt Lake City (SLC) and Denver (DEN) are unsuitable for near-term hydrogen transition due to aircraft size and range constraints; instead, routes under 1,000 nautical miles using regional jets with fewer than 90 seats are the best candidates.
• Implementing liquid hydrogen (LH2) operations involves specific costs: liquefaction of gaseous hydrogen adds $1.50–$3.15 per kilogram, and cryogenic storage adds approximately $0.72/kg in capital costs and $0.58/kg in operating costs.

APA

RMI (2025). Airports and the Advancement of Net-Zero Aviation Innovation. https://rmi.org/resources/airports-and-the-advancement-of-net-zero-aviation-innovation/

Chicago

RMI. Airports and the Advancement of Net-Zero Aviation Innovation. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/airports-and-the-advancement-of-net-zero-aviation-innovation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Airports and the Advancement of Net-Zero Aviation Innovation |date=15 September 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/airports-and-the-advancement-of-net-zero-aviation-innovation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025airports, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Airports and the Advancement of Net-Zero Aviation Innovation}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/airports-and-the-advancement-of-net-zero-aviation-innovation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }