Zero Emissions Flight Infrastructure: How Systems Engineering is shaping the future of sustainable aviation

The UK is on an ambitious path towards reaching net zero by 2050. While all sectors must decarbonise, a significant contribution will come from aviation. The UK targets 2040 for net zero domestic flights and aims to become a world leader in this sector.
To reach these ambitious targets, a mix of new technologies is required; Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) as a drop-in replacement for existing fuel and the adoption of hydrogen and electric aircraft.
Connected Places Catapult was funded by the Department for Transport to investigate airport and airfield infrastructure changes required for the parallel operation of hydrogen, electric and SAF- powered planes. The authors were responsible for defining the Blueprint for Zero Emission Flight Infrastructure (ZEFI) – an operational concept and vision for the new systems required.
Beyond the infrastructure, there are more significant challenges. Much of our hydrogen is not yet net zero, and the supply of SAF involves long road journeys increasing its carbon footprint. While the first small electric aircraft was type-certified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2020, no hydrogen planes have been yet. There is a need for aircraft technology and infrastructure to be standardised and concurrently developed with considerable coordination across the industry.
This paper explores how whole systems thinking was applied to airport and airfield infrastructure in the ZEFI programme and how it can achieve the broader vision for a sustainable future in aviation.