Saturday, July 6, 2024
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Skytanking has introduced bespoke electric high-flow hydrant fuel dispensers at Brussels Airport, enhancing the fueling process directly from the underground systems to aircrafts. These dispensers, which sport a pioneering electrical chassis, arrived on April 26 and represent a leap forward in reducing local environmental impacts by cutting down on noise and emissions.
Brussels Airport, through its EU Green Deal initiative called the Stargate project, is actively seeking cutting-edge methods to make the airport industry more sustainable. In 2022, as part of this project, Skytanking embarked on a rigorous testing phase with two fully electric hydrant fuel dispensers. These vehicles, originally powered by diesel and redesigned in Belgium with components from Turkish Fuel Services, underwent evaluations to understand their energy use, influenced by factors like aircraft type, movement distances at the airport, and varying weather conditions.
Following these trials, Skytanking collaborated with Atcomex BV and Fuso to create these fully electric hydrant fuel dispensers. Designed on a universally replicable electric chassis, these units meet stringent safety standards and are geared for widespread adoption across global platforms.
“These electric hydrant fuel dispensers are state-of-the-art and custom-made, adapted with the insights provided by the tests,” says Skytanking President Amir Ibrahim. “The new vehicles use at least two times less energy than the equipment tested last year, contributing actively to the reduction of CO2 emissions and noise, making them environmentally friendly and user-friendly, which is important for both, the local environment and for the ground handling staff.”
“The goal of the Stargate project is to investigate new technologies and innovations that can make the entire European airport and aviation industry more sustainable,” says Sylvie Van den Eynde, Chief HR & Corporate Affairs Officer, Brussels Airport Company. “These innovative new vehicles are an important step in the decarbonization of all types of ground handling vehicles. The results of our Stargate-projects will allow for replications of the same principles and projects at other airports across Europe, even beyond the scope of the initial programme.”
Marking a first in Europe, Skytanking has deployed these ground-breaking lithium battery-powered hydrant dispensers, designed to manage high fuel flow rates using a conventional industrial chassis. The goal is for each dispenser to fuel between 15 to 25 aircraft daily on a single charge.
