Teesside International Airport (MME), England, is to become home to a new permanent hydrogen refuelling station as part of a wider £8 million ($10.1 million) UK government investment.

The airport previously played host to a temporary refuelling station and secured low-emission, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles as part of a regional trial in 2021.

Hydrogen infrastructure specialist Element 2, which established the previous temporary station, will set up another temporary refuelling station in 2024 and then a new permanent station in late 2024 to early 2025. As well as being used by the vehicles currently located at the airport, it will also provide fuel for hydrogen vehicles being trialed by local commercial fleets and authorities.

MME Managing Director Phil Forster says the investment forms part of a drive to become operationally net zero by 2030, highlighting that the airport will continue to prioritize responsible actions for the benefit of local people, businesses and the environment.

“This hydrogen refuelling station does just that—by proving this new technology is safe and reliable and can be used across all sorts of applications. This makes it clear Teesside is helping to pioneer both the aviation industry and the clean energy sector,” he says.

Funding for the project comes from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency.

MME reported that on July 22 it handled about 2,000 passenger departures, marking the busiest day since the airport returned to public ownership in 2019. It is now on course to record its highest annual passenger numbers since 2011 and top the 173,000-traveler total in 2022.

Five airlines serve MME on a scheduled basis at present, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows—led by Ryanair, which accounts for about 44.2% of departure seats. KLM has a 31.9% share, with TUI on 12.5%, Loganair on 9.2% and Eastern Airways on 2.2%.