The TAKE OFF project, funded under the European Union’s Clean Aviation research programme, has officially begun. Led by Safran Aircraft Engines, the consortium includes 25 partners such as Airbus, Avio Aero, and GKN Aerospace, along with top universities and research centres.
The project has received €100 million in funding to prepare for the first flight demonstration of an Open Fan engine architecture by the end of the decade. Building on previous Clean Aviation work, the goal is to achieve a 20 percent improvement in fuel efficiency for next-generation engines starting from the mid-2030s.
Pierre Cottenceau, Vice President of Engineering, Research & Technology at Safran Aircraft Engines, stated that TAKE OFF embodies the European Union and aerospace industry’s shared ambition to make aviation more sustainable.
The project covers every stage from engine assembly and aircraft integration to flight clearance and post-flight analysis. It will culminate in a flight demonstration using an Airbus A380, targeting technological maturity for a pre-development configuration. These efforts will be coordinated with the COMPANION project led by Airbus.
María Calvo, Head of Unit Project Management at Clean Aviation, noted that TAKE OFF must demonstrate the viability of the Open Fan concept at a higher maturity level in line with a planned 2029 flight test campaign.
