Climate Impulse Project Receives Official Patronage from European Commission
The strategic endorsement reflects the EU’s firm commitment and alignment with the project’s zero-emission aviation ambitions, industrial competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
Climate Impulse's Bertrand Piccard and Raphaël Dinelli. Source | fannyLoison
In a significant endorsement, Stéphane Séjourné, executive VP of the European Commission and Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, has granted the European Commission’s official patronage to Climate Impulse. Led by explorer Bertrand Piccard and composite materials engineer Raphaël Dinelli, the project aims to achieve the world’s first non-stop, zero-emission flight around the globe in 2030, powered entirely by green hydrogen. The EU’s endorsement demonstrates the bloc’s drive to pair climate leadership with industrial strength.
The pioneering project announced in 2024 aims to transform the aviation sector and beyond by offering innovative solutions in areas considered hard to decarbonize. Just in February 2026, engineers performed a full-scale structural test of the aircraft wing’s main spar, the “backbone of Climate Impulse.” Climate Impulse is backed by its main partners, Syensqo, OCP Group and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), and official partners Breitling and Orange.
At a time when global momentum on climate action is facing increasing headwinds, the EU’s endorsement sends a clear signal: Europe remains firmly committed to accelerating the transition to a climate-neutral future through innovation and clean technologies.
“Climate Impulse is a testament to European ingenuity: our ability to push the boundaries of science, engineering and innovation to make possible what seemed impossible just yesterday,” says Séjourné. “Europe has always progressed thanks to its pioneers, researchers and industrialists; this project is further proof of that.”
“Climate Impulse is first and foremost an engineering challenge. To achieve a non-stop round-the-world flight powered by green hydrogen, we must integrate and optimise technologies that have never before been combined in an aircraft of this scale and mission profile,” says Raphaël Dinelli, co-founder and head of engineering, Climate Impulse. “The project requires advances in hydrogen storage, fuel cell integration, energy efficiency, lightweight composite materials and aircraft systems architecture.”
The patronage serves as a catalyst for dialogue between institutional, scientific and industrial leaders, fostering the collaboration needed to accelerate a more sustainable aviation. It also underscores the urgency of modernizing aircraft fleets and advancing cleaner, more efficient heavy transport, while sending a clear signal to investors, innovators and partners across the continent: Europe stands behind the pioneers who open new paths.
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