In many ways, the history of commercial aviation has been a quest for more speed, altitude, and economy. Propulsion technology, in particular, has played a crucial role in reaching these goals, and historically, the introduction of advanced propulsion tech has driven dramatic advances in aircraft capability.

A group of companies that includes units of Ørsted (CPH:ORSTED) and ThyssenKrupp (ETR:TKA) has submitted a full proposal for the production of green hydrogen that will be mixed with gas or used in the aviation industry.

In an interview with the BBC, Sir Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, conceded that the aviation industry isn’t doing itself any favours by “chucking billions of tons of carbon into the air. It’s got to be dealt with”.

With the climate crisis accelerating and the EU aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, every industry that emits greenhouse gas emissions must be targeted ­— and the consensus is that aviation will be the toughest sector to decarbonise.

As the world increasingly transitions to electric vehicles in order to combat climate change, ground support vehicles powered by renewable energy play a key part, due to their use in the 24/7 transportation of people and goods. Indeed, in recent years there has been a marked increase in the aircraft ground handling industry as to the potential of renewable energy powered ground support equipment (GSE).