Publication of the AZEA Roadmap

On Monday 20 April, the Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation (AZEA) held its Roadmap Publication Ceremony at EUROCONTROL, in the context of the 7th General Assembly of the Alliance.

The Roadmap Publication Ceremony took place in the presence of the Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, who delivered a Keynote speech. The session also included an Opening Speech by EUROCONTROL Director-General Raul Medina and a video-message by EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet.

The Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation (AZEA) is a voluntary gathering of private and public organisations from the entire aviation ecosystem created by the European Commission Directorate-General for Defence and Space (DG DEFIS) in 2022 to facilitate stronger cooperation within the sector. The ''Roadmap for the deployment of hybrid, electric and hydrogen flights in Europe'' represents a major milestone for the Alliance towards implementing its objectives, showing the strong commitment of its more than 200 members to continue working together to accelerate the commercial entry into service of electric, hybrid and hydrogen-powered aircraft.

The Roadmap also shows the willingness of the European aviation sector to lead on the development and deployment of innovative electric and hydrogen propulsion technologies, contributing to the EU industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy. In his Keynote speech, Commissioner Kubilius highlighted that innovation will remain essential for the EU to keep its global aviation leadership, while also referring to how the work carried out by AZEA can contribute to the EU strategic autonomy and to reduce its energy imports dependence. The Commissioner highlighted some of the challenges addressed by the Roadmap, stressing its role as a decisive step.

The Roadmap not only highlights the potential of electric and hydrogen propulsion technologies to remove or strongly reduce CO2 emissions on existing intra-EU routes, but it also provides Europe with the opportunity to create new green air mobility offers, especially for regional and sub-regional aviation.

The Roadmap foresees that the deployment of hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft will start in the coming years with smaller aircraft, while larger aircraft able to transport up to 100 passengers will reach the market after 2040. By 2050, 20.000 hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft are expected to be deployed.

The Roadmap aims to provide the entire European aviation ecosystem with a clear plan to deploy hybrid, electricity and hydrogen aircraft in Europe. The Roadmap proposes concrete objectives, allocating roles and responsibilities to the different public and private stakeholders involved, including public authorities, aircraft manufacturers, airports, airline operators, energy suppliers and the financial sector.

To further discuss the challenges ahead and the future implementation of the Roadmap, the session also counted two roundtable discussions with high-level representatives from the aviation ecosystem.

The first roundtable looked at the future of hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, featuring the participation of representatives from EASA, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) and the aircraft manufacturers Airbus, Aura Aero, and Vaeridion.

The second roundtable discussed the required adaptations in the entire aviation ecosystem that will be needed to enable the deployment of this type of aircraft over the next year, having as participants EUROCONTROL, Airports Council International (ACI Europe), Swedavia, the European Regions Airlines Association (ERA) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

The Roadmap Publication Ceremony concluded with Closing Remarks delivered by the European Commission Aviation Policy Director at DG MOVE Filip Cornelis, who highlighted the future role of the Aviation Strategy.

All European aviation stakeholders are invited to consider the Roadmap and to participate in the work of the Alliance, which should continue acting as a collaboration platform to provide guidance on how to advance towards the deployment of hybrid, electric and hydrogen flights in Europe.

For More Information about the AZEA roadmap: https://defence-industry-space.ec.europa.eu/eu-aeronautics-industry/alliance-zero-emission-aviation_en

Pictures of the General assembly and ceremony: