Safran suspends electric jet taxiing project after Airbus ends talks

France’s Safran has shelved plans to install an electric taxiing system on Airbus A320 jets after the planemaker halted discussions on the project, it CE said. The system relies on electric motors embedded in landing gear to allow planes to push back and taxi without their jet engines running - saving fuel, curbing emissions and ending last-minute delays while waiting for airport tugs. Several such projects emerged during a spike in oil prices earlier this decade and have come to the fore again due to pressure to reduce emissions, but development has been hindered by weaker oil prices and shifts in jet flying patterns. Safran acknowledges the system would be uneconomic for long flights because those jets do not spend enough time taxiing to justify carrying the motors, which weigh some 400 kg. But for planes doing six or seven short trips a day and looking to cut extra minutes off turnaround times, the benefits could be worth 4% in lower fuel consumption, the French company said. Analysts say the trend in single-aisle jets like the A320 has recently, however, been toward longer flights enabled by design improvements.<br/>