Aviation is one of Europe’s main industries of excellence and an important contributor to the European Union’s economic prosperity: it maintains close to 5 million jobs and represents over 2% of European GDP. The continuous growth in demand for air transport worldwide will not only further increase the sector’s economic and social impact, but it also calls for measures to mitigate its environmental footprint in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions and noise pollution.
INEA has been addressing this challenge through a growing number of collaborative aviation research and innovation projects supported by the Horizon 2020 program. The MAHEPA and other projects featured in the publication are making an important contribution towards achieving the ambitious European Green Deal’s objectives, namely a 55 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and a climate-neutral continent by 2050. They are developing technologies that will make aviation more environmentally friendly and safer, while improving citizens’ quality of life.
The aviation projects are delivering results that are not only further improving existing solutions but are also – and more importantly – developing the disruptive, game-changing technologies needed to further accelerate the path towards climate neutrality. The publication presents key results and the impact of aviation research and innovation projects selected through competitive calls for proposals under the H2020 Transport and Energy Societal Challenges, i.e. “Smart, green and integrated transport” and “Secure, clean and efficient energy”.
The effective contribution made by the Agency towards supporting clean aviation in Europe is illustrated by highlights from completed and ongoing projects. The aviation industry in Europe is currently facing serious consequences, with a considerable reduction of passenger traffic and revenue losses for airlines expected in 2020. Therefore, the European Commission is taking concrete actions and putting forward targeted initiatives to help ease the impact of the outbreak on the sector.
Read the full publication here: Towards Climate-Neutral Aviation