Boeing and Airbus should overcome their deep-rooted rivalry to develop together clean technology for the aviation industry, according to Louis Gallois, the European aircraft maker's chief executive.

Mr Gallois, echoing the industry's concern as governments seek to crack down on aviation's environmental impact, invited his US rival and other engine and aircraft makers to pool research on new technology to cut carbon emissions.

"We have to be careful to respect antitrust regulations," he said, "but that does not forbid us from working on research and technology programmes in an open way, not only with Boeing but with others."

He said he planned in the next few months to call a meeting of chief executives of "engine and airframe manufacturers to ensure this issue is given the highest level of attention and commitment".

A Boeing official yesterday: "If there's something new, we'd be open to it", noting that a number of industry initiatives existed to align new aircraft and engine development with changing environmental standards around the world.

Mr Gallois's invitation follows an appeal last week by Giovanni Bisignani, head of Iata, the airline trade association, for the aerospace industry to develop a zero emissions passenger aircraft within the next 50 years.

Air travel accounts for 2 per cent of global carbon emissions, but the industry is one of the fastest growing sources of carbon dioxide, with air traffic volumes forecast this week by Boeing to nearly triple in 20 years, with annual growth of about 5 per cent.

Both Airbus and Boeing are working on concepts for replacements for their respective A320 and 737 families of short-haul, single-aisle jets, the workhorses of the global aircraft fleet.

The new aircraft are expected to come into commercial service about 2015.

Yesterday, easyJet, the UK low-cost carrier and one of Airbus's most important customers, set out its environmental requirements for the next generation of short-haul "super-clean" aircraft. It said the technology existed for the aircraft to be operational by 2015.

It unveiled a radical design for what it dubbed the "EcoJet", which would need to be 25 per cent quieter and emit 50 per cent less carbon dioxide and 75 per cent less oxides of nitrogen than the present A320 and 737 families.

Key to the easyJet design would be two rear-mounted "open rotor" engines, placed between twin tail fins, light-weight carbon fibre fuselage and wings, and a wing designed for lower speed and shorter range than the A320 and 737 families.