Europe and the Future of Green Aviation

In a speech to be delivered in the European Parliament on 05 March at an event organized by MEP Marian-Jean Marinescu, EPP coordinator for transport policy, Heart Aerospace’s Director of Government and Industry Affairs, Simon McNamara, will talk about the funding and policy enablers needed to decarbonize aviation.

Before making a few comments, I wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to the Swedish MEP Erik Bergkvist who as many of you will know very sadly passed away this month.

He was a fellow member of the TRAN Committee alongside you Mr Marinescu and as you know, he was a trailblazer for electric aviation and the type of technology you see on display here today.

The Parliament Resolution on electric aviation that he skilfully steered now serves as a landmark for how electric flight technology can, and will, revolutionise flying and decarbonise the sector. It’s an amazing legacy but, of course, just one small part of his wider work as an MEP.

In the few minutes I have I wanted to make two main points. My first point concerns how new aviation technology development is funded. Delivering new technology is not easy, it takes time, expertise, a willingness to push boundaries and it is expensive! 

Heart Aerospace is a technology pioneer. We are designing and building a 30-seat hybrid electric regional aircraft with the aim of it coming into service this decade. The market demand for this new technology is clearly demonstrated by the 250 orders from airlines with options and purchase rights for an additional 120 planes as well as a letters of intent for a further 191 airplanes.

As the industry works towards a global commitment of reaching net zero by 2050, new technology will play an essential role alongside Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). In fact, based on roadmaps published by the Air Transport Action Group, new technology will contribute as much as one third of the decarbonisation needed to reach net zero. 

To date much of the funding that is driving this new technology is coming from private investment with limited public funds being diverted. Initiatives such as the Clean Aviation JU are very welcome and provide a financial boost to technology, but traditionally funds like the EU Innovation Fund have not focused on aviation projects and even the funding granted to SAF has been modest.

Returning to Mr Bergkvist’s Resolution in Parliament, this point was well made where it states, ‘that despite the substantial effort and commitment demanded by the aviation sector in its pursuit of decarbonisation, there is no specific EU aviation fund designated explicitly to support aviation’. It goes on to request that Commission launch specific calls to finance projects supporting electrification and actions to reduce the overall impacts of aviation. This is starting to happen, for example last week’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) - Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility call but the pace needs to continue.

So, my first point is that we, as an industry, very much count on the Parliaments’ support to help unlock and direct European financing to new aviation technology projects. 

My second point concerns the enablers that we need to bring this technology into service and ensure it is successful. Airport infrastructure upgrades to accommodate greater demand for electricity and hydrogen storage is one area where considerable preparatory work is needed. We will also need to look at market access rules, user charges, certification rules and overarching EU green regulation.

With that in mind we very much welcome the recent political agreement on the Net Zero Industry Act and the fact that “Sustainable transport” was recognised as one of 9 strategic technology enablers for a green future. It’s an important start, but we need a much more coordinated European strategy for how to develop and deploy green aviation technology. 

On this I can again quote from Mr Bergkvist’s Parliament resolution where it ‘calls on the Commission to come up with a European strategy for a coordinated approach to the development, certification and deployment of the new generation of aircraft’. 

So, point two is that it is now time to start working on that strategy and it is the audience here tonight who are best qualified to contribute to this work with their expertise and I would encourage the Transport Committee to take a leading role. 

This is an incredibly exciting time for aviation. We have a clear pathway and commitment to decarbonise and within Europe we have many of the world’s leading companies in this field. By working together, jointly, unlocking the necessary fund and the policy enablers, we can and will with you help bring electric flight to Europe. 

About Heart Aerospace 

At Heart Aerospace we work at the cutting edge of technology while contributing towards a sustainable future. Heart’s mission is to decarbonize and democratize air travel. This mission is grounded in the outlook that electric air travel will become the new normal for regional flights and can be transformational in addressing the industry’s key sustainability challenges. https://www.heartaerospace.com/ 

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