Provided that it meets more and more strong environmental constraints

For the Group of industries French aeronautical and space (Gifas), no doubt, despite the crisis, air transport will double in the next 20 years. Provided that it meets more and more strong environmental constraints. Long, the aviation industry has concentrated its research efforts on two key issues: security and reliability. "It is then that we considered the test environmental, but, today, it dominates our research for the aircraft of tomorrow and we are studying all scenarios, even those which are to reduce speeds to achieve a better environmental performance", explains Bruno bellows, Director foresight in Dassaut.

The European aeronautical industry has set an ambitious agenda: reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2 by 2020), 50 lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 80 and reduce by two the perceived noise. These are the objectives of the European research program Clean Sky, the most ambitious ever launched in the sector, with a budget of 1.6 billion over seven years (2008-2014) and funded half by the Commission for European and the other by the industry. In France, all the actors in the air signed an agreement of commitment in January 2008 with the Ministry of the environment for dividing research efforts, with the installation of the Council for the French Civil Aeronautics Research implemented last July and headed by Fabrice Brégier, CEO of Airbus.

Single European Sky project

The total CO2 emissions from air transport in France grew by 65 since 1990 to 22 million tonnes. Knowing that 20 of the older devices are responsible for 60 of emissions, the first step in the fight against the greenhouse effect will come from the program of renewal of the fleet of the Air France-KLM group, which is committed on an investment of EUR 2 billion annually. Another track: the improvement of the traffic in the single European Sky project which could earn up to 12 of CO2. These searches include the improvement of techniques of approach, with a new profiling climbs and descents that have virtues on the noise but would also save more fuel. Besides other ideas such as that of electrically tow aircraft on the ground, to save the fuel up to the runway.

But the real key to the problem is a real technological break, that the engine manufacturers consider little before 2020. And yet the part is far from over. As Snecma, whose engine project "open rotor" (an engine with a larger diameter, which removed the shroud to lighten the weight) would win 26 of fuel consumption. "If it increases the rate of engine compression, reduced CO2 emissions, but it increases that of NOx, and if it introduced more of composite materials and silicon carbide fibres to lighten the weight, it's good for CO2, even for the noise, but this complicates maintenance and recycling operations", says Jacques RenvierTechnical Director at Snecma. Last track possible: the use of biofuels, which no one knows if they can be developed on a large scale. Green aviation for the moment is a marketing concept, even if its realization now dominates research programs.