Transport Research and Innovation Portal

Background & policy context

Global air traffic is forecast to triple between 2000 and 2015 and, if this demand is to be met, more than 5,000 new aircraft will have to be built each year. Europe's aeronautics industry therefore faces a massive challenge to satisfy demand for economic, safe and environmentally friendly air travel. In the next 20 years, over 16 000 commercial aircraft could be built worldwide to meet the expected tripling of air traffic. Competition in the global aeronautical products market is correspondingly fierce.

This part of the Growth Programme - the Key Action 4 (KA4) on 'New Perspectives in Aeronautics' - aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the European aeronautic industry, including SMEs, while ensuring sustainable growth of air transportation.

Strategic Objectives

Four priorities have been set for European aeronautics research over the next eight to ten years:

• cut procurement costs through reductions in aircraft production costs by 35% and development time by 15 to 20%;
• improve efficiency and performance, with reduction in fuel consumption by 20% and general improvement in reliability and direct operating costs;
• reduce noise and climate impacts as well as improve passenger environment, with reductions in emissions of NOx by 80% and CO2 by 20% and decrease of external and cabin noise by 10dB each; and
• improve operational capability and safety, through reductions in aircraft maintenance costs by 25% and decrease in accident rates by at least the same factor as the growth in traffic.

Programme organisation

The Aeronautics programme is broken down to nine technology platforms which are addressing technology integration and validation activities:

• low-cost, low-weight primary structures;
• efficient and environmentally friendly aero-engines;
• novel rotary-wing aircraft configurations;
• more autonomous aircraft in the air traffic management systems;
• power-optimised aircraft;
• low external noise aircraft;
• low noise aircraft cabins;
• novel fixed-wing aircraft configurations; and
• integrated and modular aircraft electronic systems.

Leading institution(s)

Public institution:

European Commission, Directorate-General for Research (DG Research)

Type of funding

Public (EU)

Programme funding arrangements and funding conditions

Key Action 4 (KA4) 'New perspectives in aeronautics' comprises an overall budget of some EUR 700 million.

Participating countries

Most European countries (EU members and candidate countries)

Total number of projects

188

Completed projects

48

Currently ongoing projects

139

Not yet started or predicted projects

1

Projects covered

Featured projects from KA4 (selection):

• New generation of aircraft electronics systems: ANAIS, NEVADA, PAMELA and VICTORIA.
• Managing European skies in the 21st century: AFAS and MA-AFAS.
• Advanced aircraft technologies: TANGO.
• European aircraft noise research: DUCAT, JEAN, RAIN, RANNTAC, RESOUND, SILENCE(R) and TURBONOISECF.
• Liquid hydrogen fuelled aircraft: CRYOPLANE.
• Clean aero-engines research: ANTLE, CLEAN.
• Solutions for the wake vortex problem: C-WAKE, S-WAKE.

Several KA4 projects are related to similar activities and projects commisssioned by EC, DG TREN, and a variety of predecessing FP4 projects.

Project Profiles (184)

Browse project descriptions for this programme

Contact for further information

Mr Herbert Von Bose
European Commission, Directorate-General for Research (DG Research), Directorate H - Space and Transport (Aeronautics Unit)
Rue de la Loi 200 - Wetstraat 200 Offices: SDME 2/85
B-1049  Brussels
Belgium

Tel: +32 2 29 59074
Fax: +32 2 29 66757

Website: FP5 - GROWTH - KA4 (AERONAUTICS) Programme website