Korean Air, Airbus, Air Liquide, Incheon Airport join hands for carbon-neutral aviation

Key stakeholders in the nation’s aviation industry -– Korean Air, Airbus, Air Liquide and Incheon International Airport Corp. -– have joined hands to prepare for a roadmap for carbon-neutral aviation.

The four parties on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding, under which they agreed to speed up plans to introduce hydrogen fuel and build related infrastructure at airports.

The event was attended by Korean Air’s Executive Vice President and Chief Safety & Operation Officer Lee Soo-keun, IIAC’s Vice President of Infrastructure Division Jeon Hyoung-wook, Airbus Korea’s President Fabrice Espinosa, and Air Liquide Korea’s President and Representative Director Guillaume Cottet.

Under the deal, Korean Air, the nation’s largest airline, will be responsible for researching operational activities, including ground handling planning, maintenance, and flight operations. The Incheon International Aiport Corp. will be tasked with handling airport facilities.

Airbus Korea will analyze the demand for hydrogen-powered aircraft in the Korean market, and Air Liquide will focus on coming up with a roadmap for the introduction of hydrogen fuel for the aviation industry.

“This MOU will be a starting point for the Korean aviation industry to systemize a hydrogen supply chain system and build related infrastructure development,” Lee of Korean Air said, adding that the aviation industry has been slow in adopting alternative fuels such as hydrogen relative to other industries.

By Hong Yoo (yoohong@heraldcorp.com)