The UK Civil Aviation Authority has selected three projects for the next stage of its Hydrogen Challenge sandbox, including work on hydrogen aircraft turnarounds at London City Airport, cryogenic compressed hydrogen storage for aviation and expanded airside hydrogen supply for ground support equipment and unmanned aircraft systems. The projects involve a Beyond Aero-led consortium with London City Airport and the University of East London, DreamerBoy Technologies Ltd and Saxon Air.
The sandbox is designed to test safety issues, identify regulatory gaps and assess operational opportunities as hydrogen aviation moves closer to live airport use. The Beyond Aero-led project will examine turnaround procedures for hydrogen aircraft in a busy airport setting, alongside the skills required to support them. DreamerBoy Technologies will develop storage technology intended for aviation use, while Saxon Air will extend existing infrastructure to support hydrogen storage and distribution airside.
Together, the three studies expand the UK’s evidence base around hydrogen aviation at operational level, with a focus on airport processes, storage systems and fuelling logistics. The selection follows a search for projects capable of informing future regulatory work across both aircraft operations and supporting ground infrastructure.