Covid-19 and several lockdowns have severely impacted the aerospace sector over the last few years, with the IATA describing the effect on the airline industry as “the largest shock to commercial air travel and aviation since World War II”. In addition, there are challenges that all industry sectors are facing, such as finding people with the right skills and managing cost bases.
Against this backdrop, resources and energy efficiency have become hugely important and the sector is looking towards the future and the opportunities that might open up.
As 2022 came to an end, we spoke to Professor Sir Iain Gray, Director of Aerospace to find out his thoughts on what to expect in 2023.
Aerospace: Increased focus on developing technology to achieve Net Zero goal
"Last year saw the return of short-haul air passenger traffic volumes after nearly two years of the worst crisis in aviation history, and Airbus announced it is investigating the opportunities to increase its single-aisle production volumes to 75 per month by 2025. 2022 also saw the return of the Farnborough Airshow after four years. However, unlike previous Farnborough’s there was little in the way of new products. The theme of the show was very much about sustainability, zero carbon and the initiatives proposed by the sector to achieve zero carbon emissions. This was reinforced by the outcome of the ICAO Assembly, the UN body overseeing the global civil air transport sector, in Montreal which succeeded in setting Net Zero CO2 emissions by 2050 as the worldwide climate goal for the aviation industry.
"So, what will we see in 2023? There will be an increased focus on developing the technology developments and operational improvements required to achieve this Net Zero goal. The industrialisation of Sustainable Aviation Fuels will be a priority for the sector but there will also be significant technological investment to help answer the big questions about hydrogen. Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é will be at the very forefront of this hydrogen technology - pushing the boundaries of hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and logistics and aircraft configuration and propulsion development.
"It is an exciting time to be in Aerospace and Cranfield staff, students and alumni across the world will be playing their part in finding solutions to the Net Zero challenge."
