The context
Airbus, the European aerospace leader, has announced its intention to launch the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft by 2035, focusing on hydrogen fuel to reach its carbon neutrality targets. In September 2020, the company unveiled three concept aircraft, codenamed “ZEROe” for “zero emissions.” This project is part of a wider objective of decarbonizing the air industry’s entire value chain from hydrogen production to airport infrastructure.
The three ZEROe concept aircraft
All three concepts are powered by modified gas turbine engines that use liquid hydrogen, rather than jet kerosene. These aircraft would differ in size and design, the first having turbofan engines, the second turboprop engines and the third a “blended wing” body that merges the wing with the body, offering numerous possibilities for storing and distributing hydrogen.
The challenge for Airbus
This project is a strategic priority for Airbus, in line with the French government’s targets for safeguarding the aviation industry and accelerating the sector’s ecological transition, unveiled in June 2020. The aim is to decarbonize the entire aircraft production cycle and ecosystem, from manufacturing and hydrogen production to airport infrastructure.
eocen’s role
Since July 2020, a eocen team has been working on project management assignments at Airbus in the project’s Zero Emission Technology department.
“We must ensure that the Airbus teams work in the best possible conditions. We provide them with visibility on budgets, financing, deliverables, resources and schedules. We also bring transparency and clarity on all the data they may need to make realistic decisions, for example on technical aspects.
The program we are working on follows hybrid project management, a mix of classic “waterfall” methods and a scaled agile framework (“SAFe”) involving ceremonies, retrospectives, program increment planning, etc.”
