Some 6% of European flights are long-haul (greater than 1000km), but going higher and farther, long-haul flights produce more than half of CO2 emissions. Globally, the race is on to develop hydrogen cells that can replace kerosene in fueling long-haul flights.
Last September, a hydrogen fuel-cell plane capable of carrying passengers took its maiden flight in England. Airbus also released details of three hydrogen-fueled concept planes, which it says could enter service by 2035. See Hydrogen planes and electric propulsion and new regulations: Aviation is changing:
For shorter flights, electric propulsion batteries are being developed worldwide.
Of all the major industries that spew out planet-warming greenhouse gasses, one stands out as unfixable – so far. Fossil fuel power plants can be replaced with wind and solar power. One can switch to electric cars. But as Mark Phillips reports from the British Aviation History Museum for the “CBS This Morning” series Eye on Earth, the one thing aircraft have had in common down through the ages is aviation fuel. A commercially viable electric airplane cannot yet be made, aviation fuel is too powerful to replace with batteries. Here is a direct video link.
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