Accelerating uptake of electric and hydrogen aircraft
Videoconference, 25 October 2023 — A new policy toolkit created by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Aviation Environment Federation, working together with other industry stakeholders as part of WEF’s Target True Zero initiative, was presented at the 20th ECAC environmental familiarisation webinar.
Achievement of the ICAO global netzero carbon emissions by 2050 for international aviation goal also relies on development of hydrogen and electric aircraft. Policy support will therefore
be needed in the short term to develop these novel technologies.
Alejandro de Quero Cordero, Sustainability Lead, Aerospace and Drones from the World Economic Forum, and Tim Johnson, Director, Aviation Environment Federation, explained that the toolkit is designed to support governments in formulating their electric and hydrogen aircraft strategies to contribute to the ICAO netzero goal.`
Dominic Weeks, Head of External Affairs and Marketing, ZeroAvia, and Simon McNamara, Director of Government and Industry Affairs, Heart Aerospace, as industry contributors to the development of the toolkit, provided their insights in an open discussion with the participants.
The main takeaway from the discussion was that while there is a general perception that government support should mainly focus on promoting sustainable aviation fuels, strong policy action is also needed to mobilise resources to develop the electric and hydrogen aircraft needed in the midterm.