The TRANS-AIR project is developing scenarios and transformation pathways for the future supply of energy sources in the German aviation sector. The focus is on Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), hydrogen, and electrical energy. The project examines both the future energy needs of German airports and the necessary production, import, transport, and supply infrastructures. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) as part of the German government’s 7th Energy Research Program. The practical relevance of the results is ensured through close collaboration with an industry advisory board comprising representatives from aircraft manufacturers, airports, airlines, and organizations involved in energy supply. The Resilient and Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management group focuses on analyzing the risks and resilience of future energy supply systems.
Funding
- Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR)
- Duration: 2026–2029
Contacts
- Prof. Dr. Christian Thies
- Lyn Zenner
Project Partners
- Technische Universität Braunschweig
- Institute for Automotive Management and Industrial Production (Coordination)
- Institute for Flight Control, Junior Research Group “Overall System Evaluation”
- Leibniz Univnersität Hannover
- Institute for Electrical Energy Systems
- Institute for Solid-State Physics
- Bauhaus Luftfahrt
Background and Problem Statement
The aviation industry faces the challenge of significantly reducing its climate impact. Several complementary technological pathways are available to achieve this: sustainable aviation fuels derived from biogenic sources or produced synthetically via power-to-liquid processes, liquid hydrogen for turbine or fuel cell propulsion, and fully electric and hybrid-electric concepts for short-haul flights. However, all of these energy sources require new production and supply infrastructures.
To date, there has been no holistic analysis that integrates future energy demand, the necessary supply infrastructure, and their impacts on airport energy systems over time, while also assessing the robustness of the resulting transformation pathways under conditions of uncertainty.
Objectives and Approach
Overarching Objectives of the Project
The goal of this collaborative project is to develop a systemic study that designs technologically sound scenarios for the future supply of energy sources to the German aviation sector and analyzes their impact on the required infrastructure. To this end, scenarios for the development of air traffic will first be developed, and based on these, the energy source requirements of German airports will be projected over time. Subsequently, mathematical models will be used to examine how energy sources can be supplied from the German and European energy systems as well as through global import structures, and cost-optimized expansion pathways for the supply networks will be determined. In parallel, transformation plans for the infrastructure and energy systems of archetypal airports will be developed.
All pathways are evaluated in terms of economic and environmental criteria, as well as their robustness and resilience. To this end, a toolset is being developed that will allow for the analysis of further future scenarios even after the project concludes. The results will lead to recommendations for action for policymakers and industry.
Sub-objective and approach of the TUHH-OSCM in the Area of “Risk and Resilience Analysis”
The Resilient and Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management working group analyzes the transformation pathways developed in the project in terms of their robustness and resilience to uncertainties and disruptions. First, relevant risks are identified through literature reviews and stakeholder interviews and grouped into a risk taxonomy. Building on this, an assessment framework is developed that includes quantitative metrics and qualitative indicators. This framework is applied to the scenarios and transformation pathways developed by the consortium and supplemented by model-based stress tests. Finally, critical vulnerabilities are identified, and recommendations for action are derived to ensure a resilient energy supply in the aviation sector.
