Airbus does not want to risk producing a “Concorde of hydrogen”, its chief executive said, just weeks after the world's largest plane maker delayed plans to develop a hydrogen-powered aircraft by 2035.
The lack of a hydrogen ecosystem and commercial viability at scale were the main reasons cited by Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury for the company's decision to postpone the plans. He did not provide a new timeline.
“We have concluded positively on the feasibility of a commercial airliner powered by hydrogen … but with today's conditions, it would not be a competitive aircraft compared to other ones and, compared to other forms of fuel,” he said at the Airbus Summit in Toulouse.
Other challenges include a lack of regulatory framework to certify a hydrogen-powered aircraft and the fact that the “availability of decarbonised hydrogen at scale, at the airport, at the right price is not around the corner”, he added.
We have come to the conclusion that we would be wrong to be right too early. The timing is not right
Guillaume Faury,
Airbus chief executive
While the time is not right for such a plane, Airbus is “absolutely convinced” that hydrogen is the energy for the future of aviation but more work is needed to produce hydrogen at scale and contribute to the industry's decarbonisation efforts.
“We have come to the conclusion that we would be wrong to be right too early. The timing is not right,” Mr Faury said.
The plane maker is instead “refocusing” on new technologies that must be developed before the hydrogen plane can become commercially competitive when it comes to market, he added.
In February, Airbus said it is pushing back plans for the hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft by the mid-2030s, pointing to “huge” technological and infrastructure challenges. The Airbus project was a major pillar in the industry's efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Aviation accounts for just 2 per cent to 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but it is one of the hardest industries to decarbonise due to technical and infrastructure challenges, safety requirements that slow major aircraft design changes and the long lifespans of aircraft that airlines already have in their fleet.
Decarbonising aviation depends on use of sustainable aviation fuels in existing planes, developing new technology for future aircraft designs and more efficient air traffic management systems.
Net zero by 2050 target at risk
The global aviation industry could miss its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, Airbus boss said at the annual event.
The goal remains reachable and the industry needs to “stay on course”, but it is not a “walk in the park” as progress on sustainable aviation fuels remains “too slow”, Mr Faury said.
“I don't think we are wrong to continue to pursue net zero by 2050. Probably the way it's going to be achieved will be different,” he said.
“Maybe it's going to take a bit more time but let's not be shy in the ambition. Let's keep focus on it. There's still so much to happen, we have not yet understood all the possibilities, all the technologies, all the solutions that will be found.”
The plane-maker's next single-aisle aircraft will be “evolutionary” not “revolutionary”, but this could include an open-rotor engine such as that being considered by engine-maker CFM, he said.
“There will be a significant step forward with the next generation of planes and we're looking at technologies that will make a significant difference,” he said.
Non-stop nine-day around the world trip
Bertrand Piccard, chairman of the Solar Impulse Foundation, shared the stage with Mr Faury and highlighted the Climate Impulse project, which is developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft with twin fuselages.
The Swiss adventurer, 66, who led the flight of an electric plane powered by sunlight, is now aiming higher – towards greener commercial flight – with plans for a 100-seater passenger plane powered by super-cold liquid hydrogen.
Under the Climate Impulse project, a green hydrogen-powered aeroplane will be designed for non-stop, nine-day, zero-emission circumvention of the globe in 2028
Mr Piccard outlined a future scenario where parabolic suborbital flights can connect Toulouse with Sydney in two hours.
“My job [with Climate Impulse] will stop in 2028 because you need pioneers in the beginning to open the way, but in 2028 your job will start to make it happen on a commercial level,” Mr Piccard told a roomful of Airbus executives.
Climate Impulse counts among its backers Airbus and science incubator Syensqo as well as Morocco's non-profit private research institution University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and Moroccan phosphate and fertiliser giant OCP group.
“Morocco has become a main partner” for Climate Impulse, Mr Piccard said. “OCP, a state industry wants to diversify into hydrogen, while UM6P wants to use Climate Impulse as a disrupter in technology for educating their students,” he said.
“Morocco is the door open for Africa for education and technology.”
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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SPECS
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
