Travellers and tourists are vastly more aware than they once were

Travellers and tourists are vastly more aware than they once were. | EFE

Andrew EdePalma12/01/2022 09:55
TW
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Elsewhere today, I refer to the Greens having positions of German government coordinators of air transport and tourism. The Greens have in the past proposed limiting the number of flights that German citizens can take, an indication of where - as a party - they stand on air travel.

While their arrival in government might be viewed as problematic for the travel and tourism industries, where there is a problem - as the maxim has it - there is also an opportunity, one of giving greater momentum to zero-carbon technologies.

There is no short-term fix to emissions, but there are long-term solutions, hydrogen being one. EasyJet are partnering with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions in the development of hydrogen fuel cell propulsion for commercial aircraft. Hydrogen is carbon neutral, so long as its production is. There are challenges therefore, one being development for powering large planes.

The pilot is for a nine-seater plane - not much use for the travel industry - but planes with up to 100 seats are envisaged. EasyJet, who have other partners for its zero-emissions plans, such as Airbus, believe that hydrogen and electric technologies will be viable by the mid-2030s.

For the Greens, that is a long way off, but it is nevertheless representative of a commitment to technologies that the airline industry knows it has to introduce. And not just to satisfy political parties. Travellers and tourists are vastly more aware than they once were. The customer is demanding the commitment as well.