In my view that means we, at Rolls-Royce, need to pioneer on three fronts. First, we need to redouble efforts to improve the fuel efficiency of engines and develop new technologies and capabilities for future low emission products. We have been improving airframe engine combinations around 1% every year for the past 20 years and our large engine UltraFan concept is another significant step forward.
Second, we need to work with the fuels industry to significantly ramp up the availability of environmentally friendly sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) that are scalable and compatible. A new form of collaboration is needed across the industry – from airlines, airport operators and aircraft manufacturers to energy companies, financial institutions, government, civil society groups and customers.
Third, we need to accelerate development of disruptive technologies, such as hybrid-electric and all-electric power and explore the use of new fuels such as hydrogen. Rolls-Royce is already deploying hybrid electric systems today in the rail and marine markets and supplying microgrids for power generation. Electrification is not a panacea on its own, but may help some areas of aviation, such as commuter and regional routes, to move swiftly.
In 20 years – the life of one commercial aircraft – the planet will be supporting four times more people than it did a hundred years earlier. This is a massive strain on our natural ecosystem. We absolutely must do as much as sustainably possible to bring the world back from the brink. There has never, ever, been a greater challenge to human kind. But, for us, there has never been a more exciting time to strive to be part of the solution.