At an open conference held yesterday at the Paris Air Show, Clean Sky officials discussed Clean Sky 2–the next step in the program. Primary objectives are to complete Europe’s 2000 Clean Sky joint technology initiative and move forward with the next phase.

Clean Sky’s current goals include decreasing fuel consumption and carbon emissions of air transport aircraft by 50 percent, nitrous oxide emissions by 80 percent and external noise by 50 percent by 2020. This will be achieved, said Ron Van Manen, project officer for Clean Sky 2, who added, “It is time to reset the agenda.”

Looking toward 2050, Clean Sky 2 proposes decreasing air transport fuel consumption and carbon emissions by 75 percent (compared to year 2000), nitrous oxides by 90 percent and external noise by 60 percent. This requires the approval of the European Commission, which Clean Sky hopes to get by the end of this year. Submission of the proposal will go to the EC next month.

If approved according to this timetable, a full launch of Clean Sky 2 would take place in the fourth quarter of 2014.