New fuels, small planes, drones and small electric planes. This is how we will fly in the (near) future.

The chaos in the aviation sector that we have seen in recent weeks is mainly due to too late With companies and airports that are reshaping them organic After infection, it declines sharply in the most severe stages of the pandemic, despite the most prominent public aid. Other than accidental reasons, there is also something else: rethinking the industrial model with a conclusion More aggressive season than low-cost carriers Tickets are sold for a few euros. Staff cost will go up and environmental regulations They are and will be tougher. Civil aviation is responsible for 2.8% of CO2 emissions It aims globally and Europe to eliminate its influence by 2050. To do this, it is needed Money, investments and technological innovations. Between 2010 and 2019, aircraft efficiency improved on average1.9% per year. However, in the foreseeable decade, progress was even greater, 2.4% per year. Meanwhile, flights have increased, and the number of passengers has almost doubled compared to 2011, so total emissions have risen to exceed billion tons of carbon dioxide In 2019, the last year before travel collapsed due to the pandemic.

What does the future of aviation tell us, near or far? Are we going to fly on planes similar to today’s planes and simply more efficient, or on completely different planes? Giorgio Guglieri The professor of aeronautical engineering at the Polytechnic of Turin admits: “Currently, there is no comprehensive answer in terms of sustainability” but, the professor stresses, “the industry is emerging reacts to stress And the steps forward in terms of reducing consumption have been significant.” “We have to deal with the issue by setting three short, medium and long-term deadlines,” explains A. Ilfattoquotidiano.it professor Giuseppe Sala who teaches Aeronautical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano where he also runs a Masters in Fundamentals of Air Transport. “In the near future, companies are considering re-equipping fleets with engines. Aircraft have a long life cycle and often not the latest generation engines with low fuel consumption.” Immediately there is also fuel useand SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), It is obtained from recycling and has much lower emissions than conventional fuels. “Not though solution optionSala confirms, because Sav costs too much It can only be added to regular kerosene until 10% share“.

In the medium term, i.e. over the next 3-5 years, I should start spreading Electric aircraft. They will not replace the devices we are used to (at the moment they will need very heavy batteries). However, there will be small 4-5 seat rotary-wing aircraft, which can also be operated remotely, reducing fuel consumption and noise pollution. Evolution has powerful effects too on the transport of goodsas the professor points out Giorgio Guglieri: Drones capable of carrying Payloads 3/400 kg He will start to compete with Trolleyswith a very significant impact in terms of CO2 emissions,” he explains. Electricity will find space right now in short-haul air transportation, in urban mobility, in the future Define advanced air navigation.

In theFor a long time we have been thinking about the possibility of using hydrogen Instead of the fuel currently used. Airbus Group has set the deadline for 2035 But the challenge is not simple. Hydrogen has three times less calorific value than kerosene and must be transported as a liquid to minus 200 degrees Celsius or at 700 bar pressure”, explains Professor Sala. Moreover, Guglieri notes, at the moment hydrogen is mainly produced Using hydrocarbons such as oil and gasThus, all that is done is to change the point from which greenhouse gas emissions arise.” In general it goes towards Not very big planes, at most 100, 200 passengers. A trend that also involves a rethink of airport infrastructure. Guglieri notes in the study that there is also the potential to use Only one pilot instead of the current ones. A solution that ensures cost savings for companies. Of course, the teacher explains, to make this option possible, one must be absolutely sure that in case of need, the plane can be landed even without someone to guide it. Technically nothing is impossible. To guide the sector in the transition process, the European Union has adopted the program clean flight (clean flight)And the Structured, in fact, on short, medium and long-term goals. The program is part of Brussels’ broader plan to achieve climate neutrality (zero difference between emissions generated and CO2 emissions captured) 2050.