Airbus - 2022 Universal Registration Document

1. Information on the Company’s Activities / 1.2 Non-Financial Information

The Company is actively working on a large portfolio of projects focused on increasing the understanding of non-CO 2 emissions generation, their evolution and their climate effects, but also to evaluate and develop solutions covering several promising mitigation options impacting three well-identified domains: through the use of new energies such as SAF or hydrogen, enhanced engine technology and flight operations (implementation of operational/ATM measures). These include: – on SAF, the ECLIF and VOLCAN projects included a DLR’s Falcon aircraft, flying within 100m behind the Company test aircraft fuelled with 100% SAF, to capture and analyse in-flight data. The preliminary observations show a positive impact of SAF on aircraft emissions, and the tests will continue in 2023; – on hydrogen, the Company launched Blue Condor in 2022, a demonstrator taking a modified glider up to 33,000 feet to analyse hydrogen combustion’s impact on contrail properties. The result of this analysis will provide critical information on aviation’s non-CO 2 emissions, including contrails and NO x , in advance of the ZEROe demonstrator flight testing; – on operational measures, the Company announced in 2022 its participation in the Contrail Impact Task Force, a cross sector cooperation led by the RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) to explore opportunities to address the warming impact of certain contrails. It also submitted a project proposal in the frame of SESAR 3. If selected – expected early 2023, as expected, the Company’s project (due to start in 2023) will run for three years with the objectives of improving weather forecasting capabilities, improving climate impact assessment, defining a climate-optimised concept of operations and trialling system solutions at aircraft and ATC level. The project will bring together experts and partners from climate science, meteorological institutions, airlines, manufacturers and air traffic control. to focus on effective and operationally viable solutions to aviation non-CO 2 emissions. Products and Services Supporting Climate Monitoring and Adaptation Climate change-related disasters are set to become more intense and frequent. This will require immediate action from rescue teams for whom the Company’s products play an important role. For instance, the Company’s helicopters are used by public authorities around the world in missions linked to disaster risk management, including medical evacuation, search and rescue or firefighting operations. In 2022, around 20% of delivered helicopters were equipped for such missions. Military aircraft platforms can play a crucial role in the protection of populations from natural disasters, such as for example during the aftermath of hurricane “Irma” in 2017 when several European nations used their A400M and C295 aircraft to transport first aid and humanitarian equipment to several impacted Caribbean islands. In July 2022, a removable firefighting demonstrator kit was successfully tested on the A400M airlifter during a flight test campaign in Spain. Due to its low-level flight capability and manoeuvrability at low speeds, the A400M can accurately drop payloads of water at very low heights, down to 150ft.

The Company’s space products also play an important role in the understanding of climate phenomenon and monitoring of their evolution. Today, 20 of the Company’s satellites are involved in climate change monitoring and an additional 20 are in development. As climate adaptation entails preparing for natural disasters, this critical geospatial data enables the Company to deliver data that helps governments and humanitarian agencies predict and manage disasters. Earth observation satellites allow the monitoring of deforestation, rising sea levels and GHG emissions in the atmosphere. The Company is involved in all major environment-monitoring satellite programmes in Europe and plays a key role in all 12 of the Copernicus missions, the EU’s Earth Observation Programme. For instance, the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite is fitted with an array of measuring equipment used for air quality, ozone and ultra-violet radiation, and climate monitoring and forecasting. Sentinel-5P takes up to 40 million observations per day and provides a much finer view of emissions than previous satellites or detectors on the ground. In 2022, the Company has progressed on the development and testing of new technologies that will be featured on biomass, the first ever satellite that will report how much CO 2 is captured by the world’s forests. The spacecraft will deliver accurate maps of tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomass and changes in the biomass stock that are not obtainable by ground measurement techniques. In arid areas of the planet, it will see through to the underlying bedrock, enabling mapping of the rock structure and search for subterranean reservoirs of water. Upcoming missions also include EarthCARE, monitoring the impact of clouds and tiny atmospheric particles (aerosols) on atmospheric radiation; Merlin, studying GHG and global warming; and Microcarb, measuring CO 2 levels. The Company’s satellite-based services help support a more sustainable agriculture. They provide insights enabling reduction in the use of nitrates, and play a significant role in helping agro-industrial companies like Ferrero or Nestlé monitor adherence to their non-deforestation commitments. The Company’s Pléiades Neo constellation delivers precision insights to help farmers cultivate their fields more sustainably in the context of a changing climate. Pléiades Neo’s Red Edge band makes it possible to accurately predict and pinpoint subtle stress situations in crops long before the problem can be detected with conventional vegetation indices or even the human eye. This information will allow farmers to assess the root cause of the problem and take remedial action before the ailment spreads or crops are lost, enabling more effective climate adaptation.

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Airbus / Universal Registration Document 2022