Aircraft manufacturers, in this backdrop, have been making the right moves to thrust sustainable aviation into spotlight. Aeronautics company Airbus, for instance, has joined hands with Siemens and Rolls-Royce to develop a hybrid electric engine to move away from fossil fuels and lower flying costs. The three companies have announced that the E-Fan X hybrid-electric technology demonstrator is anticipated to fly in 2020 following a comprehensive ground test campaign, provisionally on a BAe 146 flying testbed, with one of the aircraft's four gas turbine engines replaced by a two megawatt electric motor. Provisions will be made to replace a second gas turbine with an electric motor once system maturity has been proven. "The E-Fan X is an important next step in our goal of making electric flight a reality in the foreseeable future," says Paul Eremenko, chief technology officer, Airbus. "We see hybrid-electric propulsion as a compelling technology for the future of aviation."