Airbus hopes to launch planes with hybrid engines by 2030

Airbus, a European aircraft manufacture, is joining forces with Siemens to develop commercial passenger planes powered by a hybrid engine. These planes would be powered by a combination of electric power and conventional fuel.

Florian Martini, a spokesperson for Siemens, recently compared the this new plane to a Prius. This means a more quiet and more fuel efficient plane.

The new hybrid plane would consume about a quarter as much fuel as traditional planes and would be quite during take off and landing. With a range of 620 miles, "

you would be apply to fly from New York City to Detroit, Michigan."

Airbus CEO Tom enders said the ultimate goal for Airbus is "to develop 'zero-emissions aviation.'" The airline industry is currently under fire regarding emissions and European rules now require that aircrafts emit 75% less CO2 and 65% less noise by 2050.

Both companies working on this new plane have already tested this on a "smaller scale" and have already flown a small electric plane from the U.K. to France, about a 36 minute flight.

This is a huge announcement by Airbus. This creates huge opportunities for the aviation industry, and will also have a positive impact on the environment, a topic which is currently very popular. It will be interesting to see how fast this technology can be developed and what it does to the aviation industry.