1 Where do you see the aerospace industry in 2050, which technologies that are not commonly used today will we take for granted in the future?

ANSWER: Sustainable fuels and green hydrogen will be in widespread use and replace fossil fuels. Flying fuel cells and other revolutionary propulsion concepts will be the new standard in the skies.

2 How do we achieve the ambitious sustainability goals? What exactly are the drivers of change here? 

ANSWER: For one thing, we need to systematically drive forward new propulsion concepts. We are doing this with our Claire technology agenda. Secondly, we could already achieve immediate relief for the climate with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). What we miss are sufficient quantities for aviation. And in parallel, we are making our own industrial activities climate-neutral.

3 Was there any development in the industry, that has moved you recently? Which one?

ANSWER: The will to change is everywhere - and the pipeline is full of ideas that support the EU's Green Deal. For the SWITCH project, we as MTU are working with partners like Airbus and Pratt & Whitney. Here, we are combining our water-enhanced turbofan concept with hybrid-electric propulsion elements. At the same time, the industry is reawakening with large orders for the near future, such as most recently United Airlines with an order for 100 Boeing 787s and the option for additional 100.