Airbus R&D

European aircraft maker Airbus is planning to invest about €2bn in environmental research and development (R&D) in 2012.

Airbus Strategy and Future Programmes head, Christian Scherer, said: "We will also recruit 4,000 new high-skilled employees in 2012, and many more in the supply chain."

The investment will be towards reducing carbon emissions and cutting noise pollution, while the investment will also be used to help enhance the struggling eurozone economy.

Airbus is aiming to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year to 2020 to meet the goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2050 in comparison to 2005 levels.

Airbus has recently collaborated with Boeing and Embraer for the development of alternate aviation fuels, mainly focused on reducing the industry’s carbon emissions.

The company has also joined a consortium comprising Virgin Australia to study ways of producing sustainable aviation fuels through Eucalyptus mallee trees.

Airbus and Saab have partnered to work as part of a seven-year European Union ‘CleanSky’ initiative by using the Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft (SFWA) Integrated Technology Demonstrator (ITD).

The programme is focused on meeting the environmental challenges set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE), which include the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 50%, reduction of external noise by 50%, to reduce NOx by 80% by 2020.

Airbus’s parent company, EADS said that its research & development (R&D) expenses increased to €3.1bn in 2011 when compared to €2.9bn in 2010 mainly due to the Airbus’ development of A350 XWB aircraft.

 

Image: The €2bn in environmental research and development (R&D) will be focused on meeting the targets of global aviation industry. Photo: Airbus