Air Transport

With NASA’s help, air traffic controllers in the future will “team” with their computer systems to safely and efficiently manage highly automated passenger aircraft that dynamically collaborate with the ATM system to optimize routing, capacity and fuel savings.

Without integrity—people making and keeping promises—any initiative is bound to fail.

Reduced uncertainty about weight keeps long-span, low-drag wing in the running for fuel-saving airliner designs.

NASA is moving quickly to develop a system to enable safe and efficient operation of civil unmanned aircraft systems at low altitudes outside controlled airspace.

Rather than trying to develop new systems, Boeing and Airbus are finding ways to combine existing capabilities to improve ATM operations.

Aviation Week editors Graham Warwick and Guy Norris discuss with Joe Anselmo what the future looks like from the annual American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics conference.

Analysts eyeing long-term ramifications of low oil prices on airline-fleet strategies see several potentially significant scenarios lining up, but most don’t expect any trend-altering shifts for another 6-12 months.

General Electric’s Passport engine is entering the final phases of certification for Bombardier’s Global 7000/8000 long-range business aircraft, the first versions of which are set to enter service next year.

An ICAO working group is recommending that new aircraft delivered after 2020 come equipped with a tracking data broadcast system that sends regular position updates to airline operators.

Discussion of report’s analysis and findings will take place during a wide-ranging ICAO safety conference scheduled for Feb. 2-5 in Montreal.

Boeing boasts accelerating 737 production, steady rates for 777 and 787.

A commercial aviation weather radar that can map the physical environment around a runway is showing great promise, according to its developer, Rockwell Collins.

The fast-growing airline conglomerate is facing its most serious crisis in the crash of Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501.

Boosted by the accelerating production rate of the 737 and steady production on the 777 and 787 lines, Boeing broke its annual delivery tally record for the second straight year, with 723 commercial aircraft handed over to customers in 2014.

The rule requires Part 121 operators—currently there are 80—to develop an SMS plan and submit it to FAA for approval by Sept. 9.

The economics of packing more passengers onto airplanes seems sound, but can the same be said for safety?

We are betting on these near-term MRO trends for 2015.

An unprecedented difference of opinion when it comes to building Notre-Dame-des-Landes regional airport could lead to a major and disproportionate crisis of political confidence and prove to be a financial fiasco.

Canceling the A380 program after just a decade of production would be a political catastrophe not only for Airbus, but also for Europe.

After spearheading a multimillion-euro funding package for Alitalia, Etihad Airways must now prove it can restore its new equity alliance member to profitability and revitalize its brand.

The threat of regulatory penalties could be a further serious blow to Indonesia AirAsia, in addition to the brand damage that is likely to result from the loss of flight QZ8501.

Under coordination by ProSky to facilitate implementation and training of new air traffic controllers, the four countries’ air navigation service providers will work to implement procedures that include Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approaches and arrivals and RNP-to-ILS (instrument landing system) transitions.

By 2035, nearly two million would-be flights—12% of total demand for travel—will never take place because of reduced airport expansion plans.

A debate about the need for global flight-tracking and data streaming is back on the airwaves after AirAsia flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar on Dec. 28.

China finally has an indigenously designed airliner, following the issue of a type certificate for the Comac ARJ21-700 regional jet by the country’s civil aviation authority.