KOBENHAVNS LUFTHAVNE AS

Their core work

Copenhagen Airport (CPH) is the operator of Denmark's main international airport and the largest aviation hub in the Nordic region. In an EU research context, CPH uses its own operational infrastructure as a living testbed for decarbonising aviation — hosting trials of sustainable aviation fuels, intelligent electric charging for ground equipment, smart energy management, and aircraft emissions measurement. They contribute real airport operational data, apron and runway access for field measurements, and project coordination capacity, rather than laboratory R&D.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2019 CPH entered H2020 as a minor participant (EUR 39k) in AVIATOR, providing airport access for aircraft engine emissions and air quality research. By 2020 they stepped up dramatically to coordinate ALIGHT, a EUR 3.2M flagship project shifting focus from measuring pollution to actively deploying sustainable aviation fuel, smart energy systems, digital twins and intelligent charging. The trajectory is clear: from passive research host to coordinating lighthouse airport for aviation decarbonisation.

CPH is moving from hosting emissions research to leading full-airport decarbonisation demonstrations, so expect them to welcome partners with SAF logistics, ground equipment electrification, digital twin and replication expertise.

How they like to work

CPH plays two clearly different roles: a small participant contributing site access on sector-wide research projects, and a consortium leader when the project revolves around their own airport as a demonstration site. In ALIGHT they assembled a consortium of 33 partners across 11 countries, showing capacity to coordinate a large, multi-disciplinary project. Partners should expect CPH to lead when the airport itself is the demonstration platform, and to contribute operational data and infrastructure otherwise.

33 unique partners across 11 countries, concentrated through a single large-coordinated project. The network spans European aviation, energy and research organisations assembled around the Copenhagen demonstration site.

What sets them apart

CPH is one of the few major European airport operators willing to act as a full-scale living lab and to coordinate EU consortia directly rather than just hosting trials. Unlike research institutes or equipment vendors, they bring a real operational airport — apron space, fuel infrastructure, power grid, ground handling fleet — that can validate technologies at airport scale. For partners developing SAF supply, electric ground support equipment, airport digital twins or emissions monitoring, CPH offers a rare end-to-end deployment environment with proven project leadership.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ALIGHT
  Their flagship EUR 3.2M coordinated project turning Copenhagen Airport into a European lighthouse for sustainable aviation fuel, smart energy and intelligent charging, with a replication toolbox for other airports.
• AVIATOR
  A small but technically significant participation giving airport access for measuring aircraft plume emissions (NOx, SOx, ultrafine particles, non-volatile PM) feeding into aviation certification and regulation.