Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport is awarding €25.6 million in funding for ground power and pre-conditioned air systems designed to reduce aircraft emissions, fuel consumption and noise during ground operations.

The latest funding round includes 15 grants supporting projects at airports across Germany. Recipients include airport operators and ground service companies at Berlin Brandenburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Münster/Osnabrück, Paderborn/Lippstadt, Rostock-Laage and Stuttgart airports.

The program supports the purchase of mobile and stationary ground power systems that allow aircraft to reduce their reliance on onboard auxiliary power units or diesel-powered ground equipment while parked.

For the first time, the 2026 funding round also includes pre-conditioned air systems, which supply aircraft cabins with fresh and temperature-controlled air while aircraft are on the ground.

Used together, ground power and PCA systems allow aircraft auxiliary power units to remain shut down for longer periods. The ministry estimates that widebody aircraft can save up to 300 liters of jet fuel per hour through the use of the technologies.

Since the funding program began in 2023, Germany has provided nearly €50 million for lower-emission ground infrastructure at 22 airports. Projects supported to date include 258 ground power units, 87 charging points and 80 PCA systems.

According to the ministry, ground power solutions already placed into service, together with the newly funded PCA systems, are expected to avoid approximately 121,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually.

The investments also are intended to help German airports prepare for upcoming European requirements. Under the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, airports will be required to provide lower-emission ground power infrastructure by 2030. Requirements for PCA systems at the largest German airports take effect in 2031.

The ministry also has launched a funding call for research and development projects aimed at advancing additional technologies for lower-emission aircraft ground handling.