Plans for a new hypersonic jet that flies at four times the speed of sound will be unveiled in Paris on Monday.

 

"/> Plans for a new hypersonic jet that flies at four times the speed of sound will be unveiled in Paris on Monday.

 

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AIRBUS

New plane promises New York in 90 minutes

Plans for a new hypersonic jet that flies at four times the speed of sound will be unveiled in Paris on Monday.

 

Published: 20 June 2011 09:54 CEST
New plane promises New York in 90 minutes
EADS

European aircraft maker EADS will announce its plans for the jet at the Paris Air Show which opens today at Le Bourget. 

The jet, currently named ZEHST (Zero Emission HyperSonic Transportation) could fly up to 100 people at over 3,000 miles per hour. This would cut the current 11 hour flight from Paris to Tokyo to just two and a half hours.

 

Flying at 20 miles above the Earth, just outside its atmosphere, it would be almost completely non-polluting through its mix of biofuel, hydrogen and water.

 

There will be a wait for those hoping to take advantage of the new high speed service. A first test flight is not expected until 2030 and commercial flights in 2050.

 

EADS will be hoping that the hypersonic jet will overshadow the disappointments it’s faced at the annual air show this year.

 

Yesterday, plans for a demonstration flight by the large Airbus A380 were scuppered when the aircraft’s wing tip hit a building. A military plane, the A400M, will also not be flying after engine problems were discovered.

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AIRBUS

Airbus job cuts to hit Germany hardest

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier on Wednesday urged plane builder Airbus to spread the pain fairly as it cuts 15,000 jobs to deal with lower orders following the coronavirus pandemic.

Published: 1 July 2020 13:19 CEST
Airbus job cuts to hit Germany hardest
An Airbus plane departing Leipzig's airport on Wednesday for Rhodes, Greece for the first time since the start of the corona crisis. Photo: DPA

Just like airline giant Lufthansa, which Berlin has stepped in to save with €9 billion of taxpayer cash, “we have an interest that (Airbus) survives the crisis undamaged,” Altmaier said.

Nevertheless, “we assume that the restructuring will proceed in a way that does not favour any country nor disadvantage any country,” he added.

 

The company had said Tuesday its cuts would fall most heavily on Europe's top economy, with 5,100 positions to go compared with 5,000 in France, 1,700 in Britain and 900 in Spain.

Some 45,600 of Airbus' roughly 135,000 employees worldwide work in Germany, compared with 49,000 in France — meaning the German share of the planned layoffs is higher than the French.

Altmaier also recalled that Berlin was investing around €1 billion in developing quieter low-emissions aircraft, with Airbus among companies eligible for the funds.

Paris reacted more forcefully Tuesday, with the economy ministry blasting the planned Airbus cuts as “excessive” and urging limits on forced departures.

Company bosses have said they will discuss with unions how to achieve the job reductions, with measures including voluntary departures, early retirement, and long-term partial unemployment schemes all on the table.

On Wednesday, Germany partially restarted its travel and tourism industry again. The worldwide travel warning is being lifted for all EU member states as of Wednesday, although a travel warning remains in place for 130 countries until at least August 31st.

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