Electric planes ‘not viable for airlines’ within next 15 years

Ryanair director of sustainability says electric planes are only likely to feature in airline’s longer-term plans

Ryanair has linked up with Trinity College Dublin as part of a project to investigate more sustainable fuel options. The move is part of the airline’s bid to operate one in eight flights on sustainable fuels by 2030

Electric-powered planes will not be viable for the aviation travel industry within the next 15 years, Thomas Fowler, a director of sustainability and finance at Ryanair, has said.

Several big players in the aviation sector, including Airbus, EasyJet, Boeing and United Airlines, are investing hundreds of millions in the “electric plane race” in a bid to offset their large carbon footprints.

The airline industry generates more than 600 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The ...