Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking - new members & pathway towards climate-neutral aviation

The Governing Board of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking endorsed the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda towards climate-neutral aviation by 2050. At its first meeting the Governing Board welcomed Rosalinde van der Vlies, the European Commission’s Director for Clean Planet, as Chair and elected Sabine Klauke, CTO Airbus, as Co-Chair of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Governing Board.

The mission of the new Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, launched on 30 November 2021, will be to develop disruptive new aircraft technologies to support the European Green Deal and climate neutrality by 2050. These technologies will deliver net greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of no less than 30%, compared to 2020 state-of-the-art.

The resulting technological and industrial readiness will allow the deployment of new aircraft with this level of performance no later than 2035, enabling 75% of the world’s civil aviation fleet to be replaced by 2050. Such aircraft will enable net CO2 reductions of up to 90% when combined with the effect of sustainable ‘drop-in’ fuels, or zero CO2 emissions in flight when using hydrogen as energy source.

The collaboration of the European aeronautics industry, academia, research centres and SMEs will be crucial to the success of Clean Aviation.

Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director, European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Clean Planet Directorate, and Chair of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, commented: “Business as usual is no longer an option. The time has come for a radical change. We need faster, more disruptive innovations and even stronger collaborations between public and private sectors both at European and national level to achieve climate neutrality in aviation by 2050, in line with the European Green Deal. The European Partnership for Clean Aviation is an essential piece of the puzzle to deliver on the rapid decarbonisation of the aviation sector and I am proud to be part of it. I am committed to maximise the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking’s impact, including through fostering synergies with other European partnerships and other EU and national R&I and deployment initiatives to enable the roll-out of green aircraft as soon as 2035.”

Sabine Klauke, CTO Airbus – the Co-Chair of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking Governing Board, said: “The Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking is a very ambitious research and innovation programme to achieve climate neutrality in aviation by 2050. I thank the Governing Board Members for their trust and I am extremely pleased to accept the Co-Chair role today. In the Clean Aviation programme, the aviation industry joins forces with the public sector, with SMEs, research centres and universities to make aviation emissions-free and contribute to the EU Green Deal targets. Clean Aviation provides us with a unique platform to bring together the best ideas and talents to develop technology demonstrations to make our ambition a reality.”

Axel Krein, the Executive Director of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, said: “The European Partnership for Clean Aviation will facilitate clear ‘real world’ impact in the aviation system with the entry into service of new, climate-friendly aircraft by 2035. This ambitious programme will solidify Europe’s position as a global leader in green aviation technologies, will support European citizens’ need for mobility and will create sustainable economic value. We are not starting from scratch – we are building on the foundations laid by the two Clean Sky Joint Undertakings that have already been contributing to emissions-free aviation since 2008.”