World's beautiful, Airbus says as air industry sets out green goals

Airbus led a chorus of pledges by aviation leaders to cut emissions under an eco-friendly new slogan on Wednesday, but was forced to defend its jet-selling business under criticism from campaigners urging the industry to tame its growth. The European company, which last year announced plans to develop a hydrogen-powered airplane from 2035, said aviation could only hit net-zero carbon emissions in 2050 if airports, airlines and air traffic systems also embraced radical change. "Reaching net zero will be the result of a truly unparalleled act of cooperation," Executive Vice President Julie Kitcher told the "Airbus Summit", attended by policymakers and airlines including easyJet and Lufthansa. Days before German elections that could reshape European green politics, Airbus road-tested a new slogan designed to link its own brand and an under-pressure aviation industry with sustainability: "The world is a beautiful place". Speakers at the polished event at the planemaker's Toulouse headquarters were supplied with "key messages," though Airbus did for the first time provide a platform for industry critics.