Why Hybrid Propulsion Matters for India

Hybrid engines are a vital step forward from conventional jet engine technology to future propulsion technologies for aviation.

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The global aviation industry has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which has challenged OEMs aero-engine makers to work on a new generation of technologies that will dramatically transform aviation as we know it.

Efficiency and safety are paramount in aviation, and since the 1950s, when the first passenger jets took to the skies, successive generations of commercial aircraft have delivered 15-20 per cent reductions in fuel burn. The dramatic advances in aircraft aerodynamics, engine design, and materials over the past decades have resulted in commercial aircraft operating today being 80 per cent more fuel-efficient than those that existed 50 years ago. This is due to the use of composite airframes, highly advanced turbofan engines and sophisticated flyby-wire (FBW) technologies and aircraft software.

In June 2023, IATA issued an 'Aircraft Technology, Net Zero Roadmap,' which highlighted the requirements for aircraft to be powered by SAF or conventional aviation fuel, hydrogen, or batteries. Each track on the Technology Roadmap was dedicated to a specific type of energy and the technologies needed to enable its use, and it emphasised that there is no single silver bullet. However, it is now clear that the aviation industry's path to net-zero carbon emissions will involve a step change in technology delivering a portfolio of solutions: Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) will deliver immediate gains, and hybrid-electric aircraft will be operational in the near term. Aviation's net zero journey demands not only bold engineering but also unprecedented collaboration between governments, airlines, OEMs, and the energy sector. Certification targets are now in sight, and early demonstrators are already in the air.

HYBRID-ELECTRIC: A BRIDGE TO FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES