Emerging Technologies

Under terms of the deal, American will purchase and take delivery of 35 million gal. of SAF over three years for use at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Four companies are forming a joint venture (JV) to create a large-scale French sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Dunkirk, France.

KLM Cityhopper has operated a commercial passenger flight between Amsterdam and Hamburg using a 5% blend of electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF).

The Helios Horizon stratospheric electric aircraft has flown powered by solid-state batteries, believed to be the first piloted flight using the fast-charging, energy-dense battery tech.

The unique requirements of collaborative combat aircraft will force engine-makers to adopt a different mindset for design, schedule and cost.

NASA’s Lockheed Martin-built X-59 Quesst low-boom demonstrator conducted its first supersonic flight on June 5, reaching Mach 1.1 on an 81-min. mission.

Airbus Helicopters is getting ready to unveil an uncrewed variant of its H145 twin-engine light helicopter at Berlin’s ILA Airshow, which opens June 10.

Hybrid-electric regional aircraft developer Heart Aerospace has begun taxi tests of its full-scale piloted flight demonstrator, the X1.

Partially as a result of their revolutionary nature, interest in CCAs continues to expand, with operators now putting funding into developing their own capabilities in this area.

GE runs hybrid engine; ambitious decarbonization pays off; NASA’s advanced airliners; channel-wing VTOL UAS; and a balloon-launched rocket.

Sustainable aviation fuel will likely account for less than 1% of total commercial aviation use this year.

IATA is expanding its cargo payment management offerings in Latin America in recognition of the region’s continued growth in sector.

United Airlines is betting that the future of inflight entertainment (IFE) is not about entertainment.

Cemvita has completed an industrial-scale demonstration of its process to convert a waste byproduct from biodiesel production to a feedstock for SAF.

Latecoere is readying to offer composite-material aerostructures to Airbus, targeting reduced weight at affordable costs on the airframer’s NGSA.

Israel Aerospace Industries says it has added edge-based artificial intelligence processing to its decentralized airborne OPAL battle management network.

Regarding SAF, some airline executives say high costs, limited supply and scalability concerns have tempered expectations.

The significance of AI's impact on airline retailing centers depends on who ultimately controls it, a senior United Airlines executive believes.

IATA has pledged to work more closely with the ICAO to advance transparency and integrity in tracking progress of sustainable aviation fuels.

As France’s CORAC research and technology program faces budgetary pressure, Daher is championing continued funding and associated collaboration.

NASA has teased results from 18-month studies by industry and academia to identify technologies and concepts for ultra-efficient commercial aircraft.

Delta Air Lines remains “very confident” that it can introduce Amazon Leo inflight connectivity (IFC) as planned.

Worried about budgetary pressure on research and technology (R&T) support, France’s aerospace industry is advocating sustained, strong government funding.

A study by Airbus-backed think tank Bauhaus Luftfahrt estimates the societal costs of aviation's climate impact for different decarbonization pathways.

Bombardier CRJ program owner MHIRJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) has opened an advanced design office in Munich headed by the former CTO of Maeve Aerospace.