It was “make or break” time for Clean Sky, as the second Greener Aviation Conference wound up this week in Belgium. The conference, held at the Brussels Meeting Centre, served as a progress report at a crucial moment.
Launched in 2008, the first phase of the European research program is coming to an end. Some 1.8 billion euros have been invested in reducing aviation’s environmental impact. There are tangible results and technological innovations to show for it. A hybrid-propulsion engine, laminar wings, a counter-rotating inducted propeller engine, and that’s just for starters.
These are just a few of the technologies that will be come to completion during Phase 2 of Clean Sky, with a new catchphrase: stay competitive.
Richard Parker – Chairman of the Governing Board at Clean Sky: watch the interview in the video.
With a budget of 4 billion euros until 2023 from its 600 industrial partners and the European Commission, phase 2 of Clean Sky promises to be an exciting challenge. To put this into practice, a new Chief Executive is about to be appointed to head up the program. He will step into the shoes of Eric Dautriat. Four candidates, whose identity has not been revealed, are shortlisted so far, with the nominee to be announced the next few weeks.
The official end of phase 1 of Clean Sky will come to an end next spring, on 21st and 22nd March, in Brussels.
