About Olivier Andries
During his keynote at the 2023 Paris Air Lab, Safran CEO Olivier Andries outlined the company’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in aviation by 2050. He described three pillars: improvements in engine efficiency (“sobriety”), hybrid-electric propulsion, and the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and hydrogen. Andries announced the RISE (Revolutionary Innovation for Sustainable Engines) technology program, which he said aims to deliver a 20 percent fuel-burn improvement versus the latest engine generation by around 2045. He emphasized that certification remains a key entry barrier for new propulsion technologies.
Andries acknowledged that climate transition will require significant investment and that SAFs and synthetic fuels are currently more expensive than kerosene, but expressed confidence that passengers would accept higher fares to support carbon neutrality. In earlier remarks from 2019, he highlighted the commercial success of the LEAP engine, which he said achieved a 15 percent reduction in fuel consumption over the previous generation, and noted that electric-only aircraft face fundamental range limitations due to battery weight.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Olivier Andries's recent appearances.
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Transcript (11 segments)
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Moderator0:01
Welcome to the Paris Air Lab, the heart of the Paris Air Show, where the future of air transport and decarbonization is decided. Engines are crucial for decarbonization, and they will increasingly use sustainable aviation fuels, hydrogen, batteries, and fans. Please welcome our first guest, Safran's Director General, Olivier Andries.
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Olivier Andries1:45
Delighted to be here. The aviation industry is committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. We need disruptive technologies as the first pillar, moving beyond incremental improvements. Safran and GE, as leaders, have announced the RISE technology program for a disruptive engine architecture, aiming for 20% fuel burn improvement by 2045, operating on 100% sustainable fuels, including hydrogen. We will flight test this on an Airbus A380 by mid-decade. Boeing is also pursuing disruptive aircraft configurations. Additive manufacturing will enable up to 50% of engine parts, reducing weight by 30-50%. Sustainable aviation fuels are the second pillar, likely contributing over 50% to carbon neutrality. Current engines can use up to 50% SAF, but we're testing higher blends. The European Commission mandates 6% SAF by 2030. Synthetic fuels are the future. The third pillar is electric propulsion, not for commercial aviation due to battery weight, but for small aircraft and new air mobility. Certification is a key challenge. Combining these three pillars will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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Moderator13:24
Thank you, Mr. Andries. Would you like to stay for questions? Are there any questions from the audience?
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Audience Member13:48
Good morning, thank you for your speech. My question is about hydrogen. I see some reluctance to embrace it as an alternative fuel. What are the drawbacks for the aviation industry?
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Olivier Andries14:08
Hydrogen is a seductive option as it emits no CO2, but there are technical and ecosystem challenges. Liquid hydrogen requires four times more volume than kerosene, so it cannot be the sole solution, especially for long-range aircraft. It would require global infrastructure changes at airports, making it a long-term solution. We won't achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 with hydrogen alone; we need to act now with current solutions. By mid-next decade, around 2035, there will be a move to design new narrow-body aircraft, but hydrogen may come later, starting with smaller regional aircraft first.
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Moderator17:46
Any other questions? Michael Gubish from Syria has a question.
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Michael Gubish18:02
Regarding engine architecture, the RISE program has a different approach. Will there be single-engine solutions, or how can these different architectures come together?
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Olivier Andries18:33
When you go disruptive, you aim to be unique. We want to demonstrate the best engine option for future aircraft. It will be up to Airbus and Boeing to decide whether to optimize with the best solution or risk obsolescence by staying conventional.
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Moderator19:33
How exciting is this moment for an engine manufacturer with all these technological transitions?
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Olivier Andries20:14
It's exciting for everyone in aviation. We face short-term supply chain issues, but this is a critical time for decarbonization. The future is being built in the next five years; technologies must mature now. I invite new engineers to participate in decarbonizing aviation. We can combine traffic growth with decarbonization. The next generation aircraft will bring at least 30% fuel burn improvement. Synthetic fuels are promising but expensive; the climate transition requires investment. Passengers may accept slightly higher fares to reach carbon neutrality.
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Moderator24:34
Thank you, Mr. Andries. Please stay for the upcoming roundtable on sustainable aviation fuels. A round of applause for Olivier Andries.
