RIYADH: Airbus, one of the largest global aircraft manufacturers, will be launching the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035, according to a leading executive in the company.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Future Aviation Forum, President of Airbus Africa and the Middle East Mikail Houari told Arab News that the airline plans to lead the sustainability wave with the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft.
“Airbus first started to manufacture aircraft with 25 percent less emission and has taken up the initiative of delivering a zero-emission aircraft by 2035,” said Houari in an exclusive interview.
According to a concept note on the airline’s website, the aircraft will enable the company to explore a variety of configurations and hydrogen technologies that will shape the development of our future zero-emission aircraft.
Called ZEROe, the aircraft will be powered by hydrogen combustion through modified gas turbine engines. Liquid hydrogen will be used as fuel for combustion with oxygen.
“The market is expecting this from us. The market is asking for it. As a leader in the industry, we are responsible for driving the whole ecosystem into a sustainable value chain,” said Houari.
He added that sustainability would be a key differentiator factor in the growth of aircraft manufacturers in the future, as aviation contributes 2.5 percent to global pollution.
“It’s not fair for people to say that aviation is a polluting industry, but we indeed represent 2.5 percent, and therefore we want to play our role in society, and we want to work on it,” Houari said.
