Turnaround Simulation and Assessment of Future Hydrogen Aircraft Concepts

Alternative fuels and novel aircraft designs are critical for enhancing aviation sustainability and reducing pollution. This work examines aircraft handling as a central interface between airlines, airports, and passengers, with the aim of evaluating the operational characteristics of future aircraft concepts as part of the aircraft design process. This study extends the turnaround simulation tool TURNerate by Bauhaus Luftfahrt through modular process structures and an integrated Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) refueling model, employing CPACS-based geometry and mission data within the Bauhaus Luftfahrt Aircraft Design Environment (BLADE). Validation against twelve conventional aircraft yields a mean deviation of only 5.4% from manufacturer reference turnaround times, underscoring the robustness of the methodology. Case studies demonstrate that geometry-sensitive processes, such as catering, vary substantially with cabin layout, thereby highlighting the importance of layoutdriven modeling. For LH2 concepts, the simulation illustrates that, while purge and chill-down steps add procedural complexity, the constant mass-flow fueling profile reported in literature enables turnaround durations that may even outperform kerosene. In contrast, scenarios involving distributed multi-tank architectures reproduce findings from prior studies, indicating that sufficiently high internal transfer rates are essential to avoid significant time penalties. Overall, the proposed framework provides a validated and extensible basis for the early-stage operational assessment of hydrogen-powered aircraft, bridging the gap between conceptual design and airport integration. It demonstrates that hydrogen can be operationally competitive while identifying key infrastructural and safety-related challenges for future research.