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easyJet Plans Greener Aircraft By 2015
London (AFP) June 14, 2007 British no-frills carrier easyJet on Thursday launched plans for eco-friendly aircraft which it hopes either Airbus or Boeing will develop by 2015 as the aviation sector tilts towards greener air travel. The so-called "ecoJet" would emit half the amount of carbon dioxide expelled by current aircraft, easyJet revealed at a press conference in London. The news comes amid European moves to limit the environmental impact of airline pollution through the imposition of carbon dioxide emissions quotas from 2011, despite some opposition from within the travel industry. "We are working with the manufacturers to get this aircraft delivered in 2015," easyJet chief executive Andrew Harrison told reporters. "We're talking to Boeing and Airbus and they're actively working on it. "There is nothing on this plane that Airbus or Boeing would not recognise," he added without stating the financial cost of the ecoJet project. The new "ecoJet" has a lightweight fuselage and other improvements in technology and design which are aimed at cutting carbon emissions and noise. Its unveiling came a day after Boeing forecast that airlines worldwide -- led by the low-cost sector -- would take delivery of nearly 30,000 new jets in the next 20 years. The airline sector flies into focus again next week during the Paris Air Show, a showpiece event where US aerospace giant Boeing Co. and its European rival Airbus are expected to announce key orders. "This is not Star Trek, this is the future, we have not created a new concept," Harrison said Thursday, adding that there was no prototype version for the proposed "super-clean" shorthaul aircraft. "We will have this aircraft in the sky in 2015 if there is greater economic demand," he said. easyJet was in the process of investing billion of pounds in the latest generation of aviation technology, according to Harrison. From 2011, airlines will have to meet targets by reducing their emissions or buying carbon dioxide credits from other industries, under current European Union proposals. Planes leave condensation trails at high altitudes which add to the greenhouse gas effect, fanning fears over global climate change.
Source: Agence France-Presse Email This Article
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Airbus Wants To Cut CO2 Emissions By Half By 2020
Paris (AFP) June 14, 2007European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from its planes by half between now and 2020, company chief executive Louis Gallois said here Thursday. Gallois also appealed to Airbus competitor Boeing to take take part in an industry conference on protecting the environment. |
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