The Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery.
The Cochin international airport in Kerala is set to become the first Indian airport to operate hydrogen-powered buses for passenger transportation, following the exchange of a memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Kerala Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster Foundation and Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Sunday (February 1, 2026).
The MoA was formally exchanged by K. Krishnankutty, Kerala’s Minister for Electricity and chairman of the governing body for ANERT, on behalf of the Kerala HVIC Foundation, and P. Rajeeve, Minister for Industries, Coir and Law, and director of CIAL, at a function held at the 0484 Aero Lounge, CIAL.
The agreement pertains to the procurement and operation of three hydrogen fuel cell electric buses at the Kochi airport as part of the Kerala Hydrogen Valley initiative under the National Green Hydrogen Mission of the Government of India. Under the MoA, the K-HVIC Foundation will provide financial support for the procurement of the buses, with funding capped at ₹2.90 crore per bus and the overall project outlay limited to ₹8.7 crore, to be released in stages, according to a communication from CIAL.
Procurement of the buses is scheduled to be completed within 12 months. Ownership of the buses will vest with CIAL, which will bear the operational and statutory expenses and decide the operational model and routes.
CIAL managing director S. Suhas, chairman and managing director of Kerala HVIC Foundation Harshil R. Meena, and Ranjith Krishna Pai, senior director and scientist, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, were among the officials present at the event.
Reduction of emissions
The project is expected to significantly enhance passenger convenience while reducing emissions from airport transport operations. With the green hydrogen plant constructed jointly by CIAL and BPCL set to commence operations, fuel supply for the buses will be ensured. With statutory approvals for hydrogen supply infrastructure already in place, the initiative is poised for early implementation.
Published – February 03, 2026 09:45 am IST
