Innovation
Volocopter’s eVTOL launch at Paris Olympics scrapped
Plans to debut electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi services at the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been scrapped after the certification for the engine failed to come through. German urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer, Volocopter, lobbied for...
Digitalisation and SAF: Director of Sustainability on striving for net-zero at Vueling
At Aerospace Tech Week, Franc Sanmartí, Director of Sustainability & Aeropolitical Affairs, Vueling Airlines joined to share his insights on the industry's progress towards the net-zero by 2050 target. This five-minute conversation looked at key targets within the...
Boeing leads orders at Farnborough despite supply chain challenges
Farnborough International Airshow has seen some major announcements this week, with several large orders despite ongoing supply chain issues. By the end of day two, Forbes reported a total of 187 orders between Airbus and Boeing, with Boeing in the lead at 118 orders...
NATS’ digital twin tech to reduce 30,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions at Heathrow
From 2025, Heathrow will use digital twin technology developed by NATS to tackle emissions at the airport. The Demand Capacity Balancer (DCB), 'digital twin' already predicts and models operational performance in near real-time at the airport but will soon be used to...
The next big aerospace innovations with the MD of JetBlue Ventures
At Aerospace Tech Week Europe, Stephen Snyder, Managing Director, JetBlue Ventures joined for a five-minute discussion into the current innovation landscape. Snyder described the space as dynamic, with capital readily available and continued excitement around...
Maturing AAM technology with CEO & Head of UAM at Airbus
Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) have long been sparking conversation around what the future of transport will look like. With recent major developments in the AAM sector, this is evolving from concept to imminent reality. Balkiz Sarihan, CEO...
Ensuring safety while integrating AI with Anna von Groote, Director General, EUROCAE
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising every industry and aviation is no exception. Its transformative power already spans a multitude of applications and more doors are opening as the technology develops. However, its rapid integration into this safety...
Willie Walsh: “They’re part of the problem, they’ve got to be part of the solution.”
At Aerospace Tech Week, Willie Walsh, Director General, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) joined for a five minute discussion on the industry landscape. During the interview, he outlined a path for tackling the sustainability challenge and looked at...
Airbus UpNext unveils electric ‘flying truck’ for flight testing
The Airbus innovation arm UpNext has launched Optimate, a "flying truck" replicating an A350 cockpit. The fully-electric next-generation autonomy demonstrator emulates the aircraft, rolling down airport runways equipped with an A350 virtual flight deck and ‘computer...
UK tests “ground-breaking” quantum enabled navigation systems
This month, the UK successfully tested "ground-breaking" quantum technology aimed at creating an unjammable back-up for GPS navigation systems. Although the technology's "practical implementation" in commercial aviation is still estimated to be 10-20 years away in the...
McKinsey underscores gen AI’s role in bridging the labour gap
Extensive labour shortages the aviation industry is currently facing have been identified as a critical challenge with the potential to slow progress, and the MRO sector is no exception. In fact, McKinsey & Company research indicates that by 2033, one-fifth of...
“The future of air traffic control: ” Test centre built for Namur’s digital control tower
In 2026, air traffic at Charleroi and Liège airports will be remotely managed by a single digital control tower centre in based in Namur. The centre will oversee all ground movements during landing and take-off at the two airports. Recently, SOWAER (Société Wallonne...
Korean Air successfully tests 5G backed UAM system
Korean Air has successfully completed the "world's first" comprehensive urban air mobility (UAM) operations demonstration. Partnering with Hyundai Motor Company, Korea Telecom (KT), Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), and Hyundai Engineering &...
KLM demonstrates how Apple Vision Pro can improve technical maintenance
Historically, augmented reality (AR) has opened up possibilities within the industry, especially around training and inspection. As the technology becomes more refined, its use cases evolve symbiotically. Recently, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines shared how they are using...
AI takes to the skies: The four practical applications of AI in aviation maintenance
AI is answering some of the most difficult questions in aviation. I pose here four questions and show how AI is transforming aviation maintenance in four key areas: Maintenance Scheduling & Supply Chain Optimization Error Detection & Reclassification Automated...
Rolls-Royce tests its most powerful business aviation engine yet
Earlier last week, Rolls-Royce announced it has successfully commenced the flight test campaign for the Pearl 10X. This signals the company's growing focus in the business aviation market and is expected enable ultra-long range connections, whilst being close to...
Industry 4.0: Digital Twin technology at Rolls-Royce
According to McKinsey, intelligent computers are to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0), what steam was to the first. Powered by disruptive technology, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics, Industry 4.0 is characterised...
What the UK Future of Flight Action Plan means for AAM
The UK Government has published its UK Future of Flight Action Plan for the industrialisation of emerging aviation technologies and their integration into the existing civil aviation system. Within the report, 'Future of Flight' as identified as including Uncrewed...
IAE V2500 milestone SAF test
It was announced earlier today that IAE International Aero Engines AG (IAE) has successfully tested the V2500 engine with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). At a MTU Maintenance Hannover in Germany, the engine was tested using Neste's 100 per cent...
A jet engine with no moving parts?
Recently, Wave Engine Corp. successfully tested a jet engine that requires no moving parts. The UAV flight test included self-powered take-off, climb-cruise, and landing. Wave Engine Corp. develop and produce next-generation wave engine propulsion systems. Reimagining...