The aviation sector in this state is advancing its collaboration with the energy industry to promote green hydrogen as a key pathway for decarbonising aviation. A protocol was signed this week by the Ministry of Transport and a group of agencies, forming the Alliance for the Use of Green Hydrogen in Aviation. This alliance is designed to coordinate efforts between the public sector and industry to accelerate research and production in this field.
Aviation plans to reach net zero emissions by 2050 while pursuing short term gains in efficiency and fuel savings. This includes optimizing operations both in the air and on the ground, increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuels in aircraft, and pursuing future breakthroughs in technologies such as green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity.
Green hydrogen is increasingly viewed as a pivotal element in decarbonising the economy, and aviation is eager not to be left behind. The ministry emphasized that initial progress does not require waiting for every technological hurdle to be cleared.
The alliance brings together the Ministry of Transport, the airport operator Aena, the Aviation Safety Agency, AOP, the major oil companies employers’ association, the Airline Association, the National Hydrogen Center, the sustainable transport group GASNAM, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology INTA, the Spanish Hydrogen Technology Platform, the defense sector, the aerospace technologies association TEDAE, and the Spanish Aerospace Technology Platform PAE. These participants aim to align policy, research, and industry action to accelerate green hydrogen deployment in aviation.
Not help and tax
Javier Gándara, president of the airline employers association, called on the government to implement effective measures that support decarbonisation without raising airfares or introducing taxes that hinder progress. He noted the industry has faced challenges in broadening access to aviation at affordable prices and argued that policy tools should help reduce costs during the transition to cleaner options.
Gándara also stressed the case against additional taxes on kerosene, arguing that such levies would reduce resources available for research and innovation without delivering clear decarbonisation benefits. The broader policy discussion in Europe includes the aim of tightening emissions rights trading and increasing the share of sustainable fuels used by aircraft as part of the effort to cut CO2 emissions by roughly half by 2030. There is ongoing consideration at the European level of new kerosene taxation and potential green taxation measures in Spain, though some plans have faced pauses in implementation during the pandemic period and related recovery stages.
As policy makers evaluate pathways to deeper decarbonisation, the aviation sector continues to pursue practical, near-term improvements in efficiency and sustainable fuel usage while remaining open to game-changing technologies. The combined focus on regulation, research support, and industry collaboration is expected to drive progress toward a cleaner and more resilient air transport system.