Minneapolis-St. Paul Becomes World's First Airport with Free HydroStations

With summers getting hotter and travelers increasingly advised to stay well hydrated, Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP) has shown great initiative by introducing the world's first refill stations of their kind at any airport worldwide. The new HydroStations will not only bring relief to weary travelers but are another step away from single-use plastics on the road to net-zero aviation by 2050.

A World’s First at MSP

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), the owners and operators of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), announced Monday that it has partnered with Pentair to become the airport's official water sponsor. The new partnership launched with the debut of ten new HOPE Hydration HydroStations in both MSP terminals, with MAC, saying they are "the first water refill stations of their kind at any airport worldwide."

Minneapolis-St. Paul handled 34.7 million passengers in 2023, an 11% increase compared to 2022. The airport hosts numerous airlines, including Air Canada, Alaska, Delta, Spirit, Lufthansa, Southwest, United, WestJet, American, Aer Lingus, JetBlue, Allegiant, and Condor.

The HydroStations provide free, chilled, and filtered water in multiple concourses and other high-traffic areas of the airport. In keeping with the sustainability theme, they also offer an interactive experience about the positive environmental impact travelers can make by filling a reusable water bottle.

MSP is not the first airport in the world to offer free water throughout its facilities. However, many existing filling stations have not been updated for years and are reminiscent of a past era. HOPE's models aim to bring a modern and sanitary solution as airports continue to innovate in the post-COVID market.

Sustainability and Revenue

The HydroStations also provide an opportunity for increased revenue sources for airport operators. There are advertising spaces that offer brands about 16 seconds of consumer attention during each refill.

The MAC strategy is guided by a commitment to meet 2030 sustainability goals, which include diverting 75% of material from the waste stream by consuming less, recycling, or composting what is used. MAC Chief Executive Officer Brian Ryks said, "Our goal is to make it easy for passengers and our airport community to choose reusable options over single-use options. We're excited about this strategic partnership because it shines a brighter spotlight on ways to reduce waste and support sustainable practices that go well beyond the airport."

With 34.7 million total passengers passing through last year, MSP is the 19th busiest airport in North America. The ten HydroStations join 80 existing water refill units at MSP, which were used seven million times in 2023, eliminating an estimated 600 pounds of waste from single-use water bottles daily. The HydroStations use integrated technology to track real-time impact data associated with eliminating single-use plastics, including plastic and carbon-emissions savings, which are displayed at each station.

Strategic Partnership and Innovation

MSP has introduced a new strategic partnership of collaboration with businesses and community organizations to enhance the passenger experience and drive innovation, with Pentair being the first in that line. Pentair is focused on innovative, sustainable water solutions that "help our planet and people thrive." Its Everpure filtration technology is a leader in the food service industry and is used in the HydroStations at MSP. In 2023, Pentair generated approximately $4.1 billion in revenue from 10,500 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries.

HOPE is a tech-enabled company whose mission is to bring clean water without waste to the world via its HydroStations. HOPE aims to motivate new behaviors around water consumption, conservation, and waste, including reducing the environmental impacts of plastic pollution.