sustainable aviation | Cotswold Airport

ZeroAvia has announced that its liquid hydrogen (LH₂) facility at Cotswold Airport is now fully prepared to support the next stage of its hydrogen-powered flight testing. The update follows the recent relocation of its Do228 testbed aircraft to the site, where operational readiness is being finalised to begin a new phase of trials focused on high-performance LH₂ systems.

“We now have the capability to safely and efficiently refuel the Do228 with LH2 – a critical step toward real operational readiness,” the company said in a statement, highlighting the site’s role as a dedicated ground and flight-testing hub. The facility will also serve for evaluating small-scale LH₂ fuel cell systems and components, helping to advance reliability and performance metrics critical for commercial certification.

The infrastructure is anchored by Air Liquide’s super vacuum-insulated LH₂ trailer with an LN₂ shield, enabling low boil-off, reduced losses, and consistent fuel handling for high-fidelity data collection.

ZeroAvia’s Cotswold setup forms part of its broader strategy to push liquid hydrogen aviation from prototype to certified platform. With flight testing infrastructure in place, the site is poised to validate not only propulsion hardware but also fuelling logistics, cryogenic handling, and system durability under real-world aviation conditions.

Find out more at ZeroAvia.com

Cotswold Airport today announced its membership of the Airport Fire Officers Association (AFOA) further strengthening its reputation for Airport safety.

As a centre for sustainable aviation, Cotswold Airport is the only operational Airport in the UK that has both hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft and battery electric powered VTOL aircraft operating on-site. These pioneering technologies from Zero Avia and Vertical Aerospace present unique challenges that the onsite fire and safety team have had to address.

This unique experience with fire safety for sustainable technologies has led to the airport team being involved in the development of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) policies through engagement in working groups around both technologies, and will now play a part in the development of these skills within the AFOA.

Andrew Wood, Rescue & Fire Fighting Service Manager, Cotswold Airport commented, “These developing technologies present unique challenges from a fire fighting and rescue point of view. Having both Hydrogen Fuel Cell and Lithium Battery powered aircraft operating on our airport has given us a unique perspective to assist in developing operational safety procedures for these sustainable aviation pioneers.

“We look forward to engaging with the AFOA membership around these and other operational matters to further develop and strengthen our safety protocols as a busy hub for civil aviation.”

Hydrogen presents a unique challenge as the near-invisible flames, although burning at over 2200 degrees C, radiate little heat. In addition, under certain conditions, hydrogen has the potential to detonate, meaning the correct extinguishing media must be employed in the correct volumes.

Lithium batteries as used by Vertical Aerospace in their electric VTOL aircraft could suffer from thermal runaway in the event of an accident, as seen in some electric vehicles producing hazardous gasses. This can be managed with water, however this can lead to contamination and environmental impact from run-off if not managed correctly.

Suzannah Harvey, CEO Cotswold Airport commented, “As we continue to develop our airport as a centre for sustainable aviation, it is vital that we continue to work on the safety of all involved around the development and deployment of new technologies.

“As we continue on our own journey towards our goal of carbon neutrality, through the deployment of solar and other sustainable technologies on-site, we enjoy seeing the ongoing success of our tenants in bringing new sustainable solutions to market.”