EasyJet says new design will slash CO2 emissions in half

Claims by easyJet that by 2015 it could be operating planes producing 50 per cent fewer carbon dioxide emissions were met with scepticism by aviation experts and conservationists.

Andy Harrison, the budget airline's chief executive, yesterday unveiled the company's vision of how the next-generation short-haul aircraft might look. Mr Harrison said he believed the "ecoJet" could be ready for operation by 2015, and would produce just half the carbon emissions of current planes. It would also be 25 per cent quieter.

EasyJet has already sent its design ideas to leading aircraft manufacturers. The ecoJet would have two "open rotor" engines set on a wide tail fin, wings swept forward to reduce drag, and a lightweight body made of carbon composites. It would also operate at slightly reduced speeds, to reduce fuel consumption further.

"This is not Star Trek technology," Mr Harrison said. "This is technology that is well within our reach - we are talking to Boeing and Airbus and we are working with manufacturers to get this aircraft delivered in 2015."

In particular, the company said that Rolls-Royce was already working on the design of open rotor engines.

However, Robert Culleymore, an analyst at Aviation Economics, said easyJet's projections were over-optimistic. "To get to a 50 per cent reduction would require a fairly revolutionary breakthrough," Mr Culleymore said. "Both Airbus and Boeing are already in the process of designing replacements for the type of plane that easyJet flies, but the 50 per cent target would also require huge strides forward from engine manufacturers."

Aviation Economics said it expected the launch of the new Boeing 787 next month to represent the most significant environmental breakthrough in recent times, but warned that even that would deliver only a 20 per cent reduction in emissions. "Easyjet's statement serves two purposes," Mr Culleymore added. "It's always good to ask for as much as you can get from manufacturers, but secondly, environment concerns are now at the forefront for aviation companies from a public relations perspective."

Keith Allott, head of the climate change programme at the charity WWF, added: "Any attempts to reduce emissions by any sector are of course welcome, but the problem with aviation is the unsustainable growth on which the business model of cheap short-haul air travel is predicated."

EasyJet launched its initiative on the same day as the European Union announced proposals for a €1.6bn (£1bn) research programme designed to reduce carbon emissions from aircraft by 50 per cent by 2020.

However, easyJet insisted its ecoJet design would enable the aviation industry to achieve those targets five years ahead of schedule. The company said open rotor engines would reduce emissions by 25 per cent, with lighter materials and air traffic control improvements contributing further reductions of 15 and 10 per cent respectively.

A spokesman for Ryanair, the Irish short-haul carrier that is easyJet's biggest rival, dismissed the ecoJet idea, and said it had already invested in more modern, cleaner planes.