Choose Aerospace has developed a curriculum and industry-recognized credential that enables high school students to gain a head start on pursuing FAA mechanic certification—a game changer for the industry’s maintenance workforce shortage. The nonprofit has reached close to 2,000 unique learners across more than 40 programs in the U.S. since its launch in 2020.
Chromalloy
Credit: Chromalloy
Chromalloy, one of the few companies that can design and manufacture single-crystal, internally cooled, high-pressure turbine blades, added an electron-beam physical vapor deposition capability at its plant in Tampa, Florida, to apply thermal barrier coatings and contain the entire blade production process in one location. This cuts 3-4 weeks from the process.
Delta TechOps Drone Inspections
Credit: Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is the first U.S. commercial airline to gain FAA approval to use drones for aircraft visual inspections. Its Delta TechOps division spent months working with government agencies, airport authorities and drone provider Mainblades to prove the technology to inspect aircraft safely and effectively. Delta’s inspectors now make decisions on aircraft conditions up to 82% more quickly than with manual inspection methods.
Electronic Authorized Release Certificate Working Group
Credit: Boeing
Years of work by the Electronic Authorized Release Certificate (eARC) Working Group—which includes manufacturers, component suppliers, airlines and repair stations and is spearheaded by Aeroxchange—culminated in a true milestone in September. Boeing sent a 737 battery from one of its repair shops to Southwest Airlines without a paper airworthiness approval form—a critical step in the industry’s push to bolster supply chain integrity.
GE Aerospace Services Technology Acceleration Center
Credit: GE Aerospace
The Services Technology Acceleration Center (STAC) represents a multimillion-dollar investment in keeping GE Aerospace’s engines running reliably on wing. Opened in late 2024, the STAC incubates, validates and fast-tracks deployment of engine inspection and repair processes throughout GE’s overhaul network, such as a faster, more accurate AI-assisted borescope inspection process for critical GE90 parts.
Aviation Week has announced the recipients for the MRO category of the 68th Annual Laureate Awards (#AWLAUR), which recognizes exceptional achievements in the global aerospace industry.
The 2026 Laureates will be presented on March 19 at a black-tie gala at the National Building Museum in Washington. That evening, editors will reveal five Grand Laureates selected from winners in each of the industry categories. We will also recognize the leaders of tomorrow—two dozen university-level students and military cadets pursuing careers in aerospace or aviation.
