CAAS and Airbus have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on sustainable aviation as international air transport recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, and Ms Sabine Klauke, Chief Technical Officer and Executive Committee Member of Airbus, signed the memorandum of understanding.
CAAS and Airbus will study the demand for and supply of alternative aviation fuels and their potential contribution to decarbonisation strategies, as well as opportunities for the research and development of disruptive technologies and enabling airport infrastructure. They will also examine the economic conditions, regulatory environment, and international policies and standards necessary to support sustainable aviation.
The MOU’s initial project will be a technical feasibility study of an airport hydrogen hub and the infrastructure requirements for future hydrogen-powered aircraft operations. These services include hydrogen production, storage, and distribution, aircraft ground support, logistics equipment, and refueling systems. The study will evaluate how these requirements might be planned for and accommodated in airport development, either upfront or in stages to allow for technology advancement. The study is scheduled to begin in early 2022 and will last two years. The study’s findings will help shape legislation, infrastructure planning, and industrial development.
Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS said, “Decarbonisation is a key priority for international aviation. Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will not be a return to business-as-usual but an opportunity to rebuild an aviation sector that is more sustainable. It is not a question of whether but of how to make flying greener and developing concrete pathways to achieve that goal while ensuring that air travel is still accessible. Making sustainable aviation viable requires cross-sectoral collaboration to reinvent the entire eco-system and close partnership between the public and private sectors. The CAAS-Airbus collaboration serves as an important pathfinder to better understand the opportunities and challenges and to build new networks of stakeholders for a sustainable aviation sector.”
“Airbus is committed to leading the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and aims to deliver the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035,” said Ms Sabine Klauke, Chief Technical Officer, Airbus. “The decarbonisation of our industry requires a combination of approaches, hydrogen being one of them, and will need unprecedented cross-sector collaboration to create the new aviation infrastructure ecosystem. We are therefore pleased to have CAAS as a partner, as we embark on this exciting journey.”
