With around 40,000 cubic meters of hydrogen, the company is therefore now supporting the 67th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett – the world championship of gas ballooning – as a sponsor. The long-distance race was held for the first time in Münster, where the company has its headquarters. In front of Münster Castle, 21 teams from twelve countries set up their hydrogen balloons at the start of the race. 

“The Gordon Bennett Cup has never been so close to a city center and in such a small area. For a whole year, we worked with all the responsible parties to develop the necessary safety concepts and plan the logistics for the hydrogen,” explains Arno Heinen, Head of Gas Engineering at Westfalen.

On the evening of September 14, 2024, the balloons took off on a long-distance race for the world championship title, safely supplied with Westfalen hydrogen. With a distance of 2111.17 kilometers covered, Team Austria 2 secured the world championship title. Team Switzerland 1 took second place with 2109.75 kilometers. Team Germany 3 with Andreas Zumrode and Axel Hunnekuhl from Münster made it exciting again at the end of the race. However, with 2108.47 kilometers they did not manage to catch up with the Swiss and ended up in a well-deserved third place.

Westfalen has been working with hydrogen for 40 years. For its future, the company is investing in the production of green hydrogen from renewable energies. “The Gordon Bennett Cup delivered unique images. The filled balloons in front of the Münster Castle really brought the fascination of ballooning to life for the audience,” says Dr. Thomas Perkmann, CEO of the Westfalen Group. ”We are pleased that our sponsorship combines two important things: our long-standing connection to ballooning and our promise to make our activities more environmentally friendly. For us, too, hydrogen is the future.”