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DRAFT REPORT (2023/2060(INI))

On electric aviation – a solution for short and mid-range flights

TRAN-PR-751901

Committee on Transport and Tourism · Rapporteur: Erik Bergkvist

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Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This is a draft report by the Committee on Transport and Tourism on electric aviation as a solution for short and mid-range flights. It sets out the benefits of electrifying regional aircraft, the investment needed, the technological challenges and the EU action it asks for. It asks the Commission to explore the potential of electric flights in regions with geographical barriers, to invest in next-generation solid-state batteries, and to come up with a European strategy for developing, certifying and deploying a new generation of aircraft. It calls for investment in on-airport infrastructure to be secured, with the first elements in place by 2025, and says the budget for the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking under Horizon Europe is far below its ambition.

Committee position. The rapporteur argues that electric and hybrid aviation for short and mid-range flights could create a new pattern of air transport services, supporting urban and regional air mobility and Europe's industrial leadership, and calls for investment, research and an EU strategy to develop it.

Key points

  1. Regional airports are important for short and medium-range electric flight and can act as innovation hubs across the supply chain, including for road, maritime and rail.
  2. Cleaner, faster air transport would improve connectivity and access to public services, jobs and sustainable tourism in smaller, isolated and sparsely populated areas, including islands.
  3. The Commission is asked to explore, with relevant regions and member states, the time saved by electric flights where geographical barriers exist, referring to the Nordic countries' experience.
  4. Electric aviation is seen as hard to use to connect the outermost regions to the mainland, but useful for connectivity between those regions; it could also make abandoned routes viable and attract regional investment.
  5. Electric engines cause close to zero operational and noise pollution, and replacing the civil fleet is both a challenge and a market opportunity for new jobs and skills.
  6. Electric and hybrid aircraft could offer new urban mobility options; the work of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency on vertiports and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is welcomed.
  7. Investment must start now, with effective support at national and EU level; public procurement is considered an effective tool, and EU companies should work with authorities on a technical roadmap and joint research.
  8. Smaller electric aircraft can use existing shorter, simpler runways, reducing the need for large infrastructure; large airports could consume 5-10 times more electricity by 2050, so the first on-airport infrastructure elements must be in place by 2025.
  9. Cross-industry research partnerships between air and automotive, shipping and rail industries are welcomed; batteries must be light, compact, quickly rechargeable and powerful, and challenges include electric distribution, thermal systems, airframe integration and aerodynamics.
  10. The Commission is asked for proactive policies for the aeronautics industry and to ensure existing EU rules do not counteract each other or block decarbonisation and electrification projects.
  11. The budget for the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking under Horizon Europe is seen as far below its ambition, and the Commission is asked to invest in next-generation solid-state batteries with twice the energy and about three times the storage potential of lithium-ion batteries.
  12. The Commission is asked to propose a European strategy for a coordinated approach to developing, certifying and deploying the new generation of aircraft, to raise public awareness and boost private and public investment.

Who is affected

  • Regional airports: seen as innovation hubs and key to short and medium-range electric flight operations.
  • People in smaller, isolated, sparsely populated and island regions: could gain connectivity, public services and jobs.
  • The outermost regions: electric aviation could improve connectivity between them, though not to the mainland.
  • EU companies in aviation electrification: asked to cooperate with national and EU authorities on a roadmap and research.
  • The aeronautics industry: the Commission is asked for proactive support and consistent EU rules.

Figures and deadlines

  • 146 %: increase in emissions from international aviation by 2019 compared to 1990.
  • 50-55 % of emissions could be reduced by shifting to sustainable aviation fuels, 30-35 % by new technology, 5-10 % by optimising operations and infrastructure, and 5 % by new market-based measures.
  • 75 % of the global civil fleet will have to be replaced from 2035 onwards to deliver required emission reductions by 2050.
  • Electric test aircraft of up to nine seats are already flying; aircraft of up to 19 seats are planned for the late 2020s, and regional aircraft for the 2030s.
  • Existing large airports could consume 5-10 times more electricity by 2050 than today.
  • The first elements of on-airport infrastructure must be in place by 2025.
  • Next-generation solid-state batteries should have twice as much energy as lithium-ion batteries and approximately three times higher storage potential.

Legal basis: Article 90 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union.