Airbus announced Thursday that it has joined a Canadian consortium committed to developing sustainable aviation fuel, which it hopes to produce by the end of the year at a pilot plant.

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The European aircraft manufacturer has signed with SAF+, a Montreal-based group of companies and research institutes in the aerospace sector, a Memorandum of Understanding for “Development and production of sustainable fuels for aviation in North AmericaHe said in a statement. Airbus’ contribution will be made viaTechnical expertise, certification, economic analysis, communication and debate والجIn favor of this fuel, according to the same source.

The “Sudanese Armed Forces”, a promising path

Use of non-fossil fuels, known by their English acronym SAF (“sustainable aviation fuel») is considered one of the most promising ways to reduce the carbon footprint of air transport, pending the maturity of the hydrogen technology that Airbus is working on with the idea of ​​achieving this in 2035. With the aim of reducing its emissions by 50% by 2050, compared to 2005. The International Air Transport Association has promised (Iata), which represents companies, with new ambitions at its general assembly to be held in October in Boston (USA). But fisheries have so far faced problems with production scale and costs, more than four times that of kerosene of fossil origin. However, regulators plan to make their gradual integration into conventional fuels mandatory: 2% in 2025 and at least 5% by 2030, according to a climate plan published by the European Union on Wednesday.

electronic fuel

There are several types of SAF, including biofuels. The project in which Airbus will cooperate is fromelectronic fuel“, meaning a fuel manufactured from capturing carbon dioxide and hydrogen itself of renewable origin, for”80% less carbon footprint than conventional keroseneAccording to the press release. The consortium, which includes Air Transat, Hydro-Quebec, Aéroports de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and Aéro Montréal, aims to produce fuel by the end of the year at a pilot plant, and plans to install a capacity of 30 million liters per year by 2025.