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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Keynote speech by Commissioner Kubilius to the General Assembly of the Alliance for zero-emission aviation Brussels, 20 April 2026 Good Afternoon, I want to start with some inspiration from history. In Lithuania we have two historical national heroes, two famous pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. In 1933 they were the first ever Lithuanians to fly across t...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Keynote speech by Commissioner Kubilius to the General Assembly of the Alliance for zero-emission aviation Brussels, 20 April 2026 Good Afternoon, I want to start with some inspiration from history. In Lithuania we have two historical national heroes, two famous pilots Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas. In 1933 they were the first ever Lithuanians to fly across the Atlantic. More than 6400 kilometres. In about 37 hours. 600 kilometres more – by the way – than the famous crossing by Charles Lindbergh. They successfully crossed the Atlantic. But sadly crashed in what is today Poland. And both men died. But they are remembered in Lithuania because of their bravery, and the spirit of adventure and innovation. That is what aviation is all about. And I think about them today because they were both soldiers in the First World War. And that makes me think of the constant connection between civil and military aviation, which was there from the very first pioneering days of flight. As you know I am Commissioner for Defence and Space. I am proud to be also Commissioner responsible for civil aeronautics. Because we can ' t defend Europe, without you. And we can ' t lead in Space without you. Sectors are interconnected. Supply lines interdependent. Know-how interchanged. The crossover between civilian and military aviation is massive, systemic and historical. The very first airplanes were civilian, over 120 years ago. And soon were put to military use. And the other way round: thanks to military improvements we can all fly quickly and safely. The air force was the first to use traffic control. And the jet engine. We now can ' t imagine travel without them. In the technology of flight there is a constant feedback loop. Civilian innovation inevitably finds a military use. Like high frequency radio for navigation. Later satellite based navigation. And the other way round: military inventions find civilian applications. Military planes for example first replaced hydraulic by electronic systems. Civilian aircraft quickly followed. Our defence industry is fragmented. We have only one defence company in the global top ten. The rest is mainly American, British and Chinese. But if you look at purely civilian aviation industry, we are a global leader. Airbus is the number one civilian aviation company, in the world. In terms of sales. A true European giant. Civil aviation contributes over one trillion euro to the European economy. 15 million jobs. Most of our aviation industry is civil: over two thirds of all activity. Companies large and small do both: civil and military. With shared facilities, common skills and know how. And our civilian industry produces hardware for the military: cockpit displays, surveillance systems and flight data monitoring. And training simulators using gaming technology. Our civilian aviation industry is a resource for our defence. An engine for European competitiveness. So we must support our industry: ensure supply of critical raw materials like aluminium and titanium. Later this year we will present an Aviation Strategy to help cover your needs. And we support innovation in aviation. The history of flight is one of constant innovation. From propellor to turbo engine, from flying by compass to flying by satellite, from manual to more and more automatic: autopilot, auto landing, auto everything. Innovation is key to the success of European industry. In Europe we pioneered the first twin jet wide bodied airliner. And the first fly by wire commercial airliner, replacing cables and hydraulics by computer controls and electronics. And I must add: originally fly by wire was a military application. Since 2021, we have supported aviation innovation with 850 million euro from the European Defence Fund. Including 80 million for transport. And more than 230 million for materials and components. And Horizon Europe funds civilian aviation innovation with 2 billion euro. So you can count on us to continue to support innovation in aviation, military and civilian. Because to keep our global leadership, we must never stop innovating. And innovation is what you are all about - the Alliance for zero emission aviation. More than 200 organisations private and public. People from all over Europe, from every sector of aviation. From airlines to airports, to industry, to energy providers, and many more. You are all people united by one inspiring ambition: to bring about the next big aviation revolution. A revolution far more fundamental, than some of the innovations I just mentioned. Just think: in 120 years air travel has progressed: from a contraption made out of canvas and wood – not for nothing called a “ kite”, to a metal machine flying faster than the speed of sound. From flying a few hundred metres – to crossing whole continents and even going to the moon and back. But in 120 years, in all that time, one thing has never changed: the fuel. Fossil fuel. Like the car, the aircraft is really a child of the internal combustion engine. This has not changed in 4 or 5 generations. And you are going to change all that with aircraft that fly on electricity and hydrogen. The biggest change in aircraft design in 120 years. The benefits are clear. No more worries about your carbon footprint when you go flying. And as Defence commissioner, I also see the benefits. This is great for our strategic autonomy. Last week Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency said: Europe has only six weeks of jet fuel left. Pushing up prices, cancelling flights, Putting summer holidays at risk. And the defence of Europe. This really shows how urgent and important your work is. If we go electric or hydrogen: no dependence on rogue states like Russia or Iran. No longer hostage to sudden crises in the world. And like all other innovations in flight, this too will have a military application. And you know this, because you produced an impressive report on this topic. Danish and UK Air forces are already successfully testing small electric planes. Drones used in Ukraine are already battery powered. And longer range hybrid drones are being developed. They can switch to battery power so they are even harder to detect. Everyone understands that in the army, operational needs are most important. Lives are at stake. And no-one expects to see solar powered fighter jets any time soon. But we can expect to see hybrid helicopters, and in the longer run military transport planes. If you can transport passengers, you can also transport soldiers or equipment. And the benefits are clear: electric systems are silent by definition. Less easy to detect, with fewer infra red emissions. Electric aircraft will also bring about a revolution in military logistics. No need for fuel convoys that are vulnerable to attack. But hydrogen and electricity produced on the on the spot. Near defensive lines. Near front lines. Bringing complete tactical independence. The reason why we are here today is that today you present a roadmap. A roadmap towards revolution in the sky. That ' s clear and ambitious: 20,000 hybrid, electric or hydrogen planes by 2050. What ' s important about this roadmap - you have learned the lessons of history. This is not only a technological revolution but an infrastructure revolution. At the start of the combustion revolution, when the very first cars started to drive, There were no petrol stations. Where did you go to get petrol? To buy petrol you had to go to a pharmacy. And if we look at electric cars: you ' re not going to buy one if there are not enough charging stations. And companies are not going to build charging stations if there are not enough electric cars. Your roadmap prevents this chicken and egg problem. You show: how much energy we need; How to get our airports ready; How to ensure certification and standards; How to prepare our airspace to new cruise speeds and flight levels; How to help operators integrate these aircraft into their fleet. In short: How to help the entire sector say “ goodbye” to fossil and “ hello” to electric and hydro. You can count on our full support in this important mission. You have the European Union behind you. What you are doing is important, exciting and inspiring. This is only the start. Our journey is about to begin. So, ladies and gentlemen. This is your commissioner speaking: fasten your seatbelts and get ready for take off. I wish you a very successful “green” flight. SPEECH/26/848
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