(Bloomberg) — The aviation industry is at risk of missing its goal of eliminating carbon emissions by 2050, the head of Airbus SE said, less than two months after the world’s biggest planemaker delayed plans to build a hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.
“I don’t think we are wrong to pursue net zero by 2050,” Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury said Monday at a sustainability event at Airbus’s headquarters in Toulouse, France. “Maybe it’s going to take a bit more time, but let’s not be shy in the ambition.”
Aviation, which accounts for 2%-3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is one of the toughest industries to decarbonize, given the technical and infrastructure challenges, safety requirements that slow significant design changes, and the decades-long lifespans of aircraft already in airline fleets.
Efforts to reach the net-zero goal hinge on two introducing two major changes — using sustainable fuels in current aircraft and developing new designs such as hydrogen powered planes. Airbus had set a goal of producing a hydrogen model by 2035 but in February said it will take longer.
On Monday, Faury outlined in greater detail the reasons for the delay. While Airbus can build the aircraft it’s been working on, such a project wouldn’t be commercially viable at scale, Faury said. The regulatory framework hasn’t been developed, nor has progress toward production of enough clean hydrogen.
“We would be wrong to be right too early,” he said. “The time is not right.”
The delays with new aircraft mean reaching the net-zero goal is even more dependent on the production of cleaner aviation fuels. Those efforts have also seen challenges, with establishment of new plants lagging targets and President Donald Trump targeting clean-fuel subsidies for elimination.
“It’s not just a question of technology. It’s a question of will,” said Bertrand Piccard, chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, who shared the stage with Faury. It’s developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft with twin fuselages that was highlighted at the event.
Airbus hasn’t said how long its own hydrogen project will take. Last month, French labor unions said they’d been told the aircraft’s entry into service would be delayed by five to ten years.
The company remains committed to producing a hydrogen-powered plane that will be commercially competitive, Faury said.
“We are absolutely convinced that this is an energy for the future of aviation,” he said. “But it’s just more work to be done.”
–With assistance from Guy Johnson.
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