The manufacturer of the A380 superjumbo has pledged to produce greener planes po

wered by radical "step change" technology before 2020 in response to airline cla
mour for more fuel-efficient aircraft.
Airbus said it would produce planes powered by "emerging technology" by the end
of the next decade, as the high oil price becomes a bigger driver for change tha
n the environmental debate.
Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, said: "What we are looking for and what the
airlines are looking for is a step-change in terms of aircraft technology. The a
ircraft should be ready to go into service by the end of the next decade."
New planes such as the A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner generate 20% less carb
on dioxide per journey than their predecessors did a decade ago, but airlines un
der threat from the crippling surge in oil prices are demanding planes that burn
fuel at an even lower rate. That, according to Airbus and Boeing, will take mor
e advanced technologies including major improvements by engine manufacturers Rol
ls-Royce and General Electric.
Both companies have looked at fuel cell and carbon capture technologies, but car
rying 300 passengers with engines based on those systems is currently impossible
. Ric Parker, head of research and technology at Rolls-Royce, told the Guardian
last year that fuel cell and carbon capture engines would be bigger than the pla
nes themselves, based on current designs.
Also under consideration is the "blended wing" design, which converts an airplan
e into a giant wing resembling a Stealth bomber. However, Boeing has so far limi
ted small prototypes to experiments for military customers and is not actively p
ursuing a passenger plane model.
Developing new airplane models is a costly business even when using established
technology, so planes that use "step-change" systems are likely to be approached
with caution by manufacturers and customers. The research and construction cost
s, allied to public doubts over new technologies being launched in a safety-obse
ssed industry, are much greater, analysts have warned.
Enders was speaking at the annual general meeting of the International
port Association alongside Scott Carson, chief executive of arch-rival
arson said the current dip in the airline market would affect aircraft
the short-term, but with production lines overbooked for years ahead,
ive the company more breathing space.

Air Trans
Boeing. C
orders in
it will g

"We recognise that there is going to be some effect on the total order book," he
said.
Airbus has predicted that 28,534 passenger and freight aircraft will be flying b
y 2026, more than double the current total of 13,284. Boeing is predicting a sim
ilar rise in air travel.
Aer Lingus, the Irish flag carrier, also weighed into the environmental debate b
y urging fellow airlines to hit back at the green lobby. Dermot Mannion, Aer Lin
gus chief executive, said governments had used airlines as "cash cows" over the
past three years and should now scrap taxes on an industry that is heading for a
$6bn (3bn) loss this year.
"Perhaps if there is any advantage to be gained from high fuel prices right now,
it is in the argument with the environmental lobby. They have had a freen run f
or two years. May be for the first time we can convince governments that the ind
ustry is not a cash cow, if it ever was one," he said.