Cleaner greener aviation on radar for Russia

A new era of eco-friendly aviation technology is being ushered in, with the first aviation bio-fuel tests proving a success. But Russia’s aviation sector is likely to take the role of buyer rather than developer of the n

Cleaner sky, higher profits. Global aviation giants are investing in eco-friendly planes, with Christian Dumas, Vice President at Airbus, saying the best technology will not only help save the planet but also money.

“We are just moving, inventing, implementing, integrating new technology on board future aircraft. And the price of aircraft remains quite stable if you take into account various factors such as inflation and so on. So, the fact that the aircraft are more environmentally friendly, that means more fuel efficient because fuel means CO2 and environmental damage, to some extent, and the net result is the improved profitability for the airlines.”

With more people flying every day, the market in Russia and CIS is growing and demand for new aircraft is high. US manufacturer Boeing is expecting to do booming business, with plans to supply around a thousand new planes over the next twenty years, worth $90 billion, according to Billy Glover, Managing Director at Environmental Strategy, at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

“There certainly are intents to sell new airplanes to service airplanes that are already here and to meet the Russian market requirements. We’re closely with the authorities and airlines in our concern, so we have good prospects for market growth here and we expect the market to continue to grow.”

A new generation of jets will help Russia update its obsolete fleet. But little of that technology is being developed here. Famous for its Tupolev and Ilyushin planes in the past, Russia is lagging well behind the global leaders in aircraft construction. Analysts say it will take a long time and large investment to catch up, and believe, at least for now, Russia will have to put up with the role of consumer rather than producer.