This February and March, RIX Riga Airport tested hydrogen-powered specialised equipment for winter aerodrome maintenance operations. The tests involved a hydrogen fuel cell-powered “Hyzon” truck combined with a “VAMMAS” snow sweeper-blower to assess the equipment’s performance, energy consumption, and operational reliability under real operating conditions.
The trials took place at the Airport from 16 February to 6 March, with the equipment operating on the apron, aircraft taxiing areas, and runway. During the testing period, the vehicle covered 179 kilometres while consuming 31 kilograms of hydrogen.
The tests confirmed that hydrogen technologies can be used for aerodrome maintenance operations in winter conditions, while also identifying areas requiring further improvement. At lower temperatures, when the air temperature dropped below minus 10 degrees Celsius, the battery discharged faster than the hydrogen system was able to replenish it.
Project Manager Mārtiņš Grels: “Aerodrome maintenance equipment is an essential part of Airport operations; therefore, we are looking for solutions that could help reduce emissions in this segment in the future. Testing hydrogen technologies is an important step towards climate-neutral Airport operations. Pilot projects like this help us evaluate how alternative energy solutions perform in our climate conditions and daily operations. The tests provided valuable experience for further technology development.”
The testing was carried out within the framework of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme project “BSR HyAirport” in cooperation with the Latvian Hydrogen Association, “Zerobus OU”, “Finavia” and other partners.
