Planet under Pressure

PAVING THE WAY FOR
EMISSIONS-FREE FLIGHT
MTU Aero Engines began working on ways to make flying more environmentally sustainable
long before the current debate on climate action got underway. In fact, the company has been
pursuing a roadmap for sustainable product development for years, mapping out a route toward
a significant reduction in aircraft engines’ fuel consumption, CO 2
emissions, and pollutant
emissions. MTU’s long-term goal is to make aviation emissions-free.
By Ute Schwing, MTU Aero Engines
Aviation opens the door to worldwide
mobility, contributes to growth and prosperity,
and connects people and cultures.
However, flying has its consequences,
especially for the climate. MTU is rising
to this major challenge and doing its part
to shape tomorrow’s aviation industry by
developing innovative, low-emission propulsion
concepts. Emissions-free flight
is the ultimate goal. The only way to
achieve this is if the entire industry pulls
together and policymakers implement
the appropriate framework.
Pioneering approach to climate action
In its development of products and
technology, MTU focuses on reducing
engine fuel consumption levels and,
by extension, CO 2
emissions. This is
something the company can directly
influence through the development
and production of its flagship components
– high-pressure compressors
and low-pressure turbines. MTU is also
conducting research into new propulsion
concepts that will pave the way for
aviation to become emissions-free. Fuel
consumption and CO 2
emissions are
directly proportional and major factors
in the impact that aviation has on the
climate. In its Clean Air Engine agenda,
MTU defines specific goals for 2050 that
lay the groundwork for emissions-free
flying in the long term.
The company is committed to meeting
the goal set out in the Paris Agreement of
2015 to limit global warming to less than
2°C. In its “Technology roadmap toward
emissions-free flight,” MTU presents a
possible path to achieving the long-term
goal of zero-emissions aviation. In addition,
the use of sustainable aviation
fuels (SAFs) can significantly reduce CO 2
emissions both from the aircraft fleet
already in service and from new engines.
MTU advocates the introduction of SAFs.
A big step in the right direction:
The geared turbofan engine
With the first generation of the GTF
Engine Family, which MTU develops
and manufactures together with Pratt
& Whitney, the partners have, in fact,
exceeded MTU’s initial climate target
of a 15 percent reduction in CO 2
emissions
(achieving 16 percent with the
PW1100G-JM, which powers the A320neo,
for example). Since 2016, this engine
family has been successively introduced
in various models for a total of five aircraft
applications. This first generation
has already enabled airlines to save more
THE IMPACT OF AVIATION ON THE CLIMATE
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports
that the climate impact of air traffic is due mainly to CO 2
emissions, ozone
production as a consequence of NO x (nitrogen oxide) emissions, and the
formation of contrails and cirrus clouds. Since CO 2
emissions have the greatest
effect on the climate, developing energy-efficient engines is one of the solutions
with the greatest potential to cut the levels of this greenhouse gas. New
combustor concepts can significantly reduce NO x emissions, while the choice of
flight route is one means of curtailing the formation of contrails.
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Global Goals Yearbook 2020