What is the Alliance?
The Alliance is a voluntary initiative of private and public partners who share the objective to prepare the entry into commercial service of hydrogen-powered and electric aircraft.
We want to bring the actors from across the ecosystem around a table and start planning for the roll-out of these aircraft. The involvement of smaller industry players and start-ups working on air transport solutions that are climate-neutral will be especially welcome.
What is the objective of the Alliance?
- The objective of the Alliance is to prepare the market for the entry into service of zero-emission aircraft.
- The novel propulsion technologies used by such aircraft will have a profound impact not only on aircraft design, but also on the fuels and airport infrastructures they require and on the way they are operated. Airline business models may also be affected.
- The Alliance will comprehensively identify and prioritise the challenges posed by zero-emission aircraft and propose practical solutions to overcome these.
Who can join the Alliance and how?
Participation in the Alliance will be open to players from across the aeronautical industry and from the aviation community in the wider sense, such as energy producers and any other relevant players. The involvement of smaller industry players and start-ups working on climate-neutral air transport solutions will be especially welcome.
They can do so by signing the Declaration and filling in the application form, provided they meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Terms of Reference.
Background: The European aeronautics industry’s commitment to net zero
The European aeronautics industry together with other European players in the aviation sector has taken the strong commitment to ensure that air transport in Europe meets Europe 2050 climate’s objectives. This includes the development of zero-emission aircraft based on novel propulsion technologies (e.g. electric, hydrogen).
In order to prepare this Alliance, the Commission gathered partners’ feedback through an online survey carried out at the end of 2021. The survey largely endorsed the concept on which the Alliance is based, and many companies and organisations offered to play an active role in the Alliance. Download the report.
The Alliance’s objective is in line with the Toulouse Declaration on future sustainability and decarbonisation of aviation [endorsed on 4 February 2022], which calls for sectoral roadmaps and joint efforts towards sustainability and decarbonisation of aviation worldwide.
Milestones of the Alliance
- 19 June 20232nd General Assembly of the Alliance
- 14 November 2022First General Assembly and creation of thematic working groups
- 26 September 2022Announcement of the first wave of Alliance members
- 24 June 2022Official launch of the European Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation
- 4 February 2022Toulouse Declaration endorsed
- 15 October 2021EU Commission closes AZEA public consultation
- 1 September 2021EU Commission launches AZEA public consultation
- 5 May 2021European Commission announced in its Communication on Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy the intention to prepare an Alliance on ZEA
