While most of the sector remains focused on incremental efficiency and fuel blending, a subset of policymakers and industrial leaders is pivoting decisively toward a different goal: aircraft with no emissions at all. Electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft are now being treated as viable candidates for short- to medium-haul routes within the next decade.
At the core of this transition is a growing belief that Europe’s aviation competitiveness will increasingly hinge on its ability to lead in emerging propulsion. Electric and hydrogen aircraft offer more than climate alignment. They represent a strategic industrial shift, one that ties directly into the bloc’s broader ambition to anchor clean technology manufacturing and infrastructure within its borders.
Certification and standards will play a decisive role. But rather than seeing these as barriers, Europe appears poised to use them as levers, shaping markets through clear approval pathways and targeted public investment.
Avation PLC (LON:AVAP) is a commercial passenger aircraft leasing company owning a fleet of aircraft which it leases to airlines across the world. Avation’s future focus are new technology low CO2 emission aircraft.
