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Airbus and CAAS sign MOU on sustainable aviation
Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to collaborate on sustainable aviation and address the long term decarbonisation of the aviation industry. The agreement was signed in Singapore by Sabine Klauke, Airbus Chief Technical Officer and Han Kok Juan CAAS Director-General.
Under the agreement, the two parties will undertake a market analysis on the potential demand and production supply for alternative aviation fuels, such as hydrogen. The MOU will also study airport hydrogen hub infrastructure requirements, airport operations and support the adoption of sustainable aviation initiatives and policies.
In addition, the MOU provides Airbus and CAAS an opportunity to evaluate how alternative energy sources such as hydrogen could play a key role within Singapore’s overall sustainability strategy.
“Decarbonisation is a key priority for international aviation. Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will not be a return to business-as-usual but an opportunity to rebuild an aviation sector that is more sustainable. It is not a question of whether, but of how to make flying greener, and developing concrete pathways to achieve that goal while ensuring that air travel is still accessible,” said Han Kok Juan, Director-General, CAAS. “Making sustainable aviation viable requires cross-sectoral collaboration to reinvent the entire ecosystem and close partnership between the public and private sectors. The CAAS-Airbus collaboration serves as an important pathfinder to better understand the opportunities and challenges and to build new networks of stakeholders for a sustainable aviation sector.”
“Airbus is committed to leading the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and aims to deliver the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035,” said Sabine Klauke, Chief Technical Officer, Airbus. “The decarbonisation of our industry requires a combination of approaches, hydrogen being one of them, and will need unprecedented cross-sector collaboration to create the new aviation infrastructure ecosystem. We are therefore pleased to have CAAS as a partner, as we embark on this exciting journey.”
Airbus is currently studying three concepts for its zero-emission aircraft. The first is a turbofan design powered by a modified gas-turbine engine running on hydrogen. The second is a turboprop design, also powered by hydrogen combustion in modified gas-turbine engines. The third is a “blended-wing body” design in which the wings merge with the main body of the aircraft. The exceptionally wide fuselage of the third concept opens up multiple options for hydrogen storage and distribution, and for cabin layout.
In parallel, Airbus is committed to playing a leading role in the decarbonisation of the aviation industry by supporting the continued replacement of airline fleets with new fuel-efficient aircraft, improvements in operations and infrastructure, as well as the increased deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
