Research initiative pioneers sustainable flight
● Research institutions from 13 countries have declared environmentally friendly aviation to be a common goal.
● They are developing new propulsion systems, fuels and aircraft configurations.
● Researchers are also looking at solutions for urban mobility.
● Focus: Environment, sustainability, digitalisation, intelligent mobility
For the aviation industry, ‘business as usual’ is simply not an option when it comes to emissions. The goal is to make flying so green that it has almost no adverse environmental impact. To realise this transformation, research institutions from 13 countries have joined forces to form the ‘Zero Emission Aviation’ (ZEMA) group. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is among the signatories of this joint statement on sustainable aviation.
The purely growth-driven strategies that have characterised the aviation industry for decades cannot carry on into the future. The ZEMA Group believes that sustainable aviation will not be achieved if the industry continues to focus on the ongoing, incremental development of existing aircraft and engines. Instead, it is promoting the development and implementation of new technology. Sustainable fuels, to give one example, can play an important part. As combustion processes are directly linked to emissions, researchers are committed to harnessing alternative energy sources for new propulsion technology. They also want to work on optimising flight paths – requiring the acquisition of relevant data as well as aircraft that can fly these routes in a climate-friendly way. Urban mobility and electric aircraft are further areas of focus. For all of the research institutions that have signed the ZEMA agreement, the statement also marks a commitment to developing sustainable aviation that meets the needs of society.
