Authored by Cristina Berenguer, Aviation Market Lead
The U.S. airport and aviation industries are making significant progress in modernizing operations and adopting innovative technologies aimed at reducing environmental impact. Electric ground support equipment (GSE) is commercially available today. Zero-emission aviation technologies like eVTOLs and electric aircraft are now in development and undergoing FAA certification. Successful adoption and deployment of these technologies will require coordinated planning among airports, utilities, and third-party providers.
For airports, the key challenge is anticipating future energy demands, charging and fueling requirements, and operational impacts before those needs become constraints. By incorporating these considerations into long-term planning now, airports can maintain operational flexibility and better position themselves to support electric, hybrid, and hydrogen aviation technologies.
Advances in Low- and Zero-Emission Aircraft
Low- and zero-emission aircraft technologies are moving from testing toward real-world operations, with initial deployments expected in the next several years and broader adoption into the 2030s. Today, the market is advancing several technologies designed for different aircraft sizes, ranges, and operating profiles.
Demonstration programs like the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) are helping industry and government evaluate how advanced air mobility technologies can be integrated into real-world operations. Electric aircraft such as the 5-passenger BETA ALIA CX300 are targeting FAA certification in 2026–2027 for regional airport-to-airport travel. For hydrogen propulsion, developers like ZeroAvia are flight-testing powertrains such as the ZA600 for regional turboprops. Plug-in hybrid-electric aircraft like the 30-passenger Heart Aerospace ES-30 are targeting certification by 2031, while eVTOL air taxis like the Joby S4 are in the final stage of the FAA certification process.
As these technologies advance, airports are beginning to prepare the infrastructure needed to support their eventual deployment. Planning efforts are already underway for advanced air mobility operations, vertiports, and expanded charging networks. The Florida Department of Transportation has expanded its SunTrax Air facility in Auburndale to include vertiports and aircraft charging infrastructure, with eVTOL test flights expected by the end of 2026. Additionally, BETA has continued expanding its charging network at airports and other aviation facilities across the country.
Airport Infrastructure Demands: Charging and Hydrogen Fueling
While alternative fuel pathways are progressing, the most immediate infrastructure demand facing airports may be managing high electrical loads from electric and plug-in hybrid-electric aircraft charging. As aircraft and GSE electrification grow, airports face the challenge of adapting infrastructure to handle significantly higher power demand. Depending on operating conditions and charging strategy, rapid turnaround between regional flights can create significant peak-power requirements. Managing this transition requires airports to model future energy, power, and infrastructure needs by evaluating specific aircraft types, projected flight activity, and charging requirements alongside GSE electrification schedules, baseline airport demand, and the utility capacity.
Looking beyond battery-electric models, the broader market is exploring alternative zero-emission aviation pathways, particularly hydrogen. Hydrogen-based propulsion could offer advantages for flights where aircraft range, payload, or turnaround requirements make battery-only systems more challenging. To support these aircraft, hydrogen equipment suppliers are scaling up technology, while airports and operators will need to consider how hydrogen is delivered, stored, dispensed, and potentially produced on-site as demand grows. Early deployments may rely on delivered hydrogen, while larger-scale operations could eventually justify on-site hydrogen production infrastructure. Fuel quality, safety standards, permitting, and lifecycle emissions will also need to be considered as hydrogen aviation scales.
Proactive Planning for Long-Term Readiness
As low- and zero-emission aircraft move closer to commercial deployment, airports should begin planning now to avoid future operational and infrastructure bottlenecks. Preparing for this shift requires airports to embed future energy demands, power loads, and zero-emission fueling requirements into long-term utility planning, capital programs, and airport master planning.
Airport transition planning should begin well before fleets begin procuring advanced technology aircraft. Electrical upgrades, utility coordination, permitting, site design, and new fueling infrastructure can require years of planning and implementation. Understanding likely demand early allows airports to identify constraints, phase investments, and ramp-up infrastructure in line with adoption of new technologies.
This is where the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) can assist. As a non-profit engineering and planning firm, CTE helps airports and fleets model future energy and power demands, identify operational impacts, and quantify infrastructure requirements for zero-emission aircraft and GSE. By bridging the gap between aircraft performance, airport operations, and utility planning, CTE can help airports develop practical, phased infrastructure plans that prepare them for the next generation of aviation.
