Hydrogen airport location selection and fleet assignment under policy considerations

The growing environmental awareness has led to increased expectations for lower carbon travel, prompting governments to start implementing policies encouraging airlines to adopt new energy aircraft. This paper examines the effects of various carbon emission reduction policies, such as taxation and stringent carbon emission constraints, on the operational strategy preferences of hydrogen-powered airlines. A fundamental optimization model for hydrogen airport location selection and fleet assignment is developed, along with 16 heterogeneous model variants that integrate different airline operating strategy preferences. Utilizing historical data from Delta Airlines and the carbon emission standards set by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) for 2030 and 2050, the results of our experiments demonstrate significant potential for reducing carbon emissions and increasing airline revenues through differentiated policies.