‘Finding sustainable fuel sources a top priority’

Finding non-fossil sustainable resources which could replace traditional fuels should be a priority objective because “we are approaching a climate tipping point,” President Droupadi Murmu said while addressing a conference organised by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) to commemorate its 75th Anniversary. The President added that to reduce the carbon footprint, “we need to rapidly adopt new propulsion technologies at a large scale” including electric, hydrogen and hybrid.

“The development of sustainable jet fuels is one of the much-needed steps to decarbonise the economy but it is hardest to achieve because traditional fuels are of very high density,” the President said. “Decarbonisation of aero-propulsion is an onerous task we will have to undertake because climate change and global warming are threatening the very existence of humans,” she stated.

“Aviation is a remarkable feat of human ingenuity that brings the imaginative power to reality with seamless fusion of technology,” Ms. Murmu noted. “Aerospace and aviation are simultaneously humbling and almost superhuman activities that afford us the vast global connection of the planet we inhabit and exploration of space and beyond,” she said.

In this regard, the President said, “Whether it is the feat of successful completion of the Mars mission or showcasing the end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving near the Moon’s South Pole – a place considered beyond human endeavour, India has proved that it has the willpower, potential, and capacity to accomplish what it sets out to achieve.” She added that the highest standards of quality, cost-effectiveness and punctuality have been the hallmarks of all of India’s projects.