Paderborn Lippstadt Airport is aiming to become an innovation centre for sustainable aviation and aerospace technologies and efficient airport infrastructure. On a visit to Paderborn, Minister of Economic Affairs and Innovation Prof. Andreas Pinkwart emphasised the importance of the aviation and aerospace industry in North Rhine-Westphalia. Around 30 companies from the region plan to work at the airport, in close collaboration with research institutes, to develop sustainable future-oriented technologies for the air transport sector.
After a tour of the airport and of HEGGEMANN, a chassis engineering company based there, Minister Pinkwart said: “The international aviation and aerospace industry is facing considerable challenges, but also offers huge potential for growth. Here in North Rhine-Westphalia, as one of Europe’s most economically strong metropolitan areas, we also want to make our mark in the field of aviation and aerospace technology.”
A climate-conscious change in transport policy requires air traffic and airport processes to produce significantly lower levels of CO2 and noise. This is founded on developing, testing, certifying and using new technologies and solutions. The region is the ideal setting for this, with its innovative medium-sized companies and its extensive landscape of cutting-edge research institutes.
A suitable infrastructure is key to enable testing and validation under real-life conditions. Paderborn Lippstadt Airport has the ideal environment for this with its air traffic control zone, 24-hour operating licence, highly efficient fire department, customs and federal police on site, and a 2.2 km runway. Furthermore, the district of Paderborn is one of the few areas of Germany that generates more renewable power than it consumes. In the future, this excess could be used to produce green hydrogen for aviation.
District administrator Christoph Rüther, chairman of the airport’s advisory board, is convinced of the value of this concept: “Working closely with local companies and research institutes, we plan to develop a centre of excellence for CO2-friendly technologies. We want to become a pioneer for climate-friendly change in the international aviation industry.” Airport CEO Roland Hüser agrees: “The development of an innovation centre for sustainable flight would provide powerful momentum that could significantly boost our airport over the coming years. All those involved are working with great commitment and dedication to strengthen the region’s position as a technology hub. As an airport, we are very happy to be playing a role in this.”
The region is planning extensive innovation infrastructure at Paderborn Lippstadt Airport to enable long-term idea generation and skills development. An interdisciplinary and application-oriented centre will offer companies and researchers an opportunity to develop technologies and implement them in a practically oriented way, from planning, to prototyping and validation, to production set-up.
Various innovation approaches will run in parallel. Another area of focus is converting conventional aeroplanes to alternative propulsion methods and developing new aircraft, including for use in emergency and disaster situations, as well as how to move aircraft onto the apron without turning on the engines. The spectrum of ideas ranges from the runway to the terminal: digital and automated processes reduce vehicle downtime, meaning that passengers and luggage reach their destination more quickly and easily.
These innovations should provide vital momentum for other commercial airports and fleet operators. Christoph Jürgenhake, aviation and aerospace engineer at Paderborn’s Fraunhofer Institute for Mechatronic Systems Design and also an entrepreneur, emphasises: “We are proud that Paderborn and the surrounding area are home to so much technological expertise in the aviation and aerospace sectors. We are now pooling our entrepreneurial and pioneering spirit and working together to develop trendsetting technologies that will make global aviation greener and more efficient.”
Speaking on behalf of Paderborn University, Prof. René Fahr explains: “The region is a cutting-edge research hub with advanced technology institutions in the fields of lightweight engineering and mechatronics, as well as a shining example of how this research can be implemented in practice via industrial partnerships. We want to transfer this successful model over to the world of aviation and airport operation, and thus give the region a further boost. I am convinced that what is emerging here is a flagship project with an international impact.”
