EU and industry launch cleaner planes project

By Huw Jones

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Planes made in the European Union from 2015 may be quieter and less polluting thanks to a 1.6 billion euro ($2.4 billion) research project launched by the EU Commission and the aeronautics industry on Tuesday.

Aerospace firms will pool research to develop technology that cuts noise around airports and build engines that use less energy and can run on alternative fuels.

The EU has set aside 800 million euros from its 2007-2013 budget with industry committing itself to investing a similar amount in the Clean Sky project.

"There are three main objectives: the reduction by 50 percent of carbon dioxide, halving the level of noise and reducing by 80 percent the level of nitrogen oxide emissions," Marc Vantre, CEO of French conglomerate Safran's aerospace propulsion division, told reporters.

So far 86 organizations from 16 of the EU's 27 countries have joined Clean Sky. They include 54 industries, 15 research centers and 17 universities.

Vantre was confident aerospace firms would come up with cash to fund the program that will develop demonstration models on the ground or in the air.

"The commitments are there," Vantre said.

The European Commission said aviation accounts for 4 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming.