As environmental initiatives and clean technologies are becoming popular, oil-saving aircraft and green-efficient equipment are also gaining more favor as evidenced at the 48th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.
Airline companies, in the face of unstable oil prices and global depression, are placing more hope in green growth of the industry.
The limited but most efficient way to save oil during air flights may be to build new engines and use lighter materials.
That is why International Aero Engines (IAE) chief executive and president Jon Beatty could not help but be proud when introducing the company's new advanced engine.
"The V2500 engine we supplied to Airbus has the lowest oil consumption, and this is to our advantage," he said.
Airbus planes with V2500 engines can cut 4 percent in oil consumption compared with other competitors, Beatty told Xinhua at the air show.
As "oil consumption and maintenance take up most of an airline's costs, oil being the major cost factor, this 4 percent reduction is magnificent," he said.
Taking advantage of the green technology, IAE, a joint venture based in Germany, has signed with China's Sichuan Airways a contract worth 700 million U.S. dollars to equip Sichuan's 18 Airbus planes with V2500 engines.
Use of advanced materials is another factor in the green drive. Manufacturers are using new composite materials such as hi-tech plastics and carbon-fiber materials to lighten their planes.
At the show, the Boeing 787 was an example of the use of advanced materials. Another, was a four-seater plane designed by a French company located in Auvergne -- it weighed just 500 kilograms due to composite materials.
Green technologies, for the first time, were the focus of the exhibition booths at the show. Aircraft manufacturers, airlines and airport operators are doing their best to save energy and reduce emissions.
On display at the show was an Airbus A380 superjumbo emblazoned with the logo "cleaner, greener, quieter, cleverer" on its fuselage. At the 2007 show the aircaft was promoted for its spaciousness and comfort.
Another company, Eurocopter, demonstrated its environment friendly determination by positioning its helicopter against a backdrop of green grass and blue skies.
Source: Xinhua
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