Hamburg Airport Launches Hydrogen-Powered Baggage Tractor Trial to Decarbonize Ground Operations

Hamburg Airport is rolling out something new on the tarmac—a real-world test of a hydrogen-powered baggage tractor. This isn’t just any baggage vehicle. It started out as a natural gas-powered Mulag 4CNG model, but thanks to HTM Hydro Technology Motors, it’s been converted into a hybrid that combines hydrogen combustion with an electric drive. The goal? Cutting down on emissions from ground operations without sacrificing performance.

Fueling up without the infrastructure headache

One of the coolest parts? The fueling system. Rather than building out costly permanent stations, they’re using a mobile hydrogen station provided by Ryze Power. It makes the whole setup more flexible and perfect for pilot testing—no need to commit to a full-blown hydrogen infrastructure just yet.

Part of a bigger green plan

This pilot isn’t just a one-off. It’s part of Hamburg’s larger mission to push for airport decarbonization, and it’s linked to the North German Real-World Laboratory (NRL) hydrogen initiative. If everything goes to plan, this could set the stage for similar retrofits at other airports worldwide, showing that hydrogen-powered vehicles can play a major role on the runway—before the planes even take off.

Looking toward a zero-emission future

The big test comes during the 2025 summer travel season, when airports are at their busiest. That’s when they’ll really get to see what this tractor can do. They’ll be looking at how it performs, how much it costs to operate, and whether this kind of tech can scale up in a real-world airport environment. It’s all part of taking one more step toward full zero-emission technology in aviation’s ground support systems.