by Elsie Clark | Sep 5, 2025 | Innovation, Sustainability
World-leading engine provider GE Aerospace and cutting-edge manufacturers BETA Technologies are partnering to advance hybrid electric aircraft engines.
The US$300 million equity investment from GE Aerospace will help advance lower-carbon aircraft propulsion. As the leading engine provide for commercial aircraft, powering around three-quarters of the world’ planes, finding more sustainable aerospace solutions is key to the company’s growth.
Through the partnership, GE Aerospace and BETA plan to co-develop a hybrid electric turbogenerator for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) applications. One of the leading players in the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) space, BETA’s expertise complements GE Aerospace’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities.
Kyle Clark, BETA Technologies’ Founder and CEO, commented:
This partnership brings together two teams deeply committed to and guided by aerospace engineering excellence and building the future of flight. We believe the industry is on the precipice of a real step change, and we’re humbled that GE Aerospace has the confidence in our team, technology, and iterative approach to innovation to partner with us.
We look forward to partnering to co-develop products that will unlock the potential of hybrid electric flight, and to do it with the rigour, reliability, and safety that aviation demands.
BETA’s aircraft have been tested in a range of weather conditions, and the company leads the AAM industry in miles and hours flown. Meanwhile, GE Aerospace’s 2022 test of the world’s first megawatt-class, multi-kilovolt (kV) hybrid electric propulsion system demonstrated how the tech could be applied to commercial flight.
The new partnership aims to maximise hybrid electric engine capabilities, from improving range to lowering operating costs. GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., said:
Partnering with BETA will expand and accelerate hybrid electric technology development, meeting our customers’ needs for differentiated capabilities that provide more range, payload, and optimised engine and aircraft performance.
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by Elsie Clark | Sep 4, 2025 | Innovation, Sustainability
The Indian Ministry for Civil Aviation has officially presented its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feasibility study at a two-day workshop in New Delhi.
Launched in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the EU, the study presented key findings on SAF’s growth potential in India ahead of ICAO’s Innovation Fair in Montreal. The workshop sets a comprehensive roadmap for SAF adoption across India, from production to deployment.
At the summit, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu noted:
SAF offers a practical and immediate pathway to decarbonise aviation, with the potential to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
The Minister added that scaling SAF production could reduce India’s carbon emissions by 20 to 25 million tonnes annually. Now one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, SAF could be critical to scaling Indian aviation while maintaining net-zero emissions targets.
As a country with over 750 million metric tonnes of biomass and nearly 230 million metric tonnes of surplus agricultural residue, India is well-positioned to become a global hub for SAF manufacture and export. Additionally, the country’s young aircraft fleet is already among the most energy-efficient in the world, providing a solid foundation for further sustainable development.
India’s government has set ambitious targets for SAF deployment: 1% of total fuel for international flights by 2027, and an increase to 5% by 2030. Production at the first certified SAF refinery, Indian Oil’s Panipat, is expected to begin by the end of 2025.
While SAF could potentially reduce the carbon emissions of the energy-intense aviation sector significantly, its long-term feasibility has been challenged. A 2024 report from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) labelled sustainable fuels ‘a false solution’ that are impossible to scale effectively in line with net-zero emissions targets.
Meanwhile, Shell announced on 3 September 2025 announced that they were cancelling the construction of their flagship biomass fuel facility in the Netherlands. The oil and gas giant had already paused the project in 2024 due to technical difficulties, but will now shelve it entirely. Machteld de Haan, head of downstream, renewables and energy solutions at Shell, said:
As we evaluated market dynamics and the cost of completion, it became clear that the project would be insufficiently competitive to meet our customers’ need for affordable, low-carbon products.
With India preparing to scale SAF investment, the world will be watching closely to determine whether SAF can deliver on its promise to reduce emissions.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 for our Sustainable Aerospace summit, where industry leaders will discuss the future of SAF and operational sustainability.
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by ATR Contributor | Aug 1, 2025 | Sustainability
As the aviation industry faces mounting pressure to decarbonize, OEMs are stepping up with bold innovation, practical design shifts, and deeper collaboration than ever before.
In this interview, Rebina Pozole, Head of Sustainability at Deutsche Aircraft, shares how the company is tackling sustainability challenges through smarter aircraft design, fuel experimentation, and strategic partnerships-with the D328eco aircraft leading the charge.
“We’ve always reduced fuel for economic reasons-now we’re doing it for environmental ones.”
Pozole explains that while long-term innovation is crucial, OEMs have a responsibility to pursue near-term, feasible solutions. For Deutsche Aircraft, this includes improving aerodynamics, weight, and engine efficiency while also testing alternative fuel types like hydrogen, batteries, and more sustainable hydrocarbon use.
“There aren’t that many energy carriers we can use in aviation. We need to explore realistic alternatives-and SAF is one of them.”
She highlights two tracks of experimentation:
- Applied tech testing, like flights using zero-aromatics synthetic fuels
- Research-based experimentation, exploring what may be possible in the future
One major milestone? The upcoming D328eco, scheduled for entry into service in late 2027:
“We’re on track. Seeing the aircraft take shape in the hangar-it’s really exciting.”
Pozole also dives into the critical need for deep, technical collaboration between OEMs, fuel producers, and other ecosystem players:
“It’s not just cooperation for the sake of it. We need to understand each other’s technical and business constraints-something we never had to do before.”
Looking ahead, Deutsche Aircraft is actively forming strategic partnerships with SAF producers to ensure their aircraft can fly with 100% PTL zero-aromatics fuel once it’s commercially available.
Questions asked include:
- What role do OEMs play in the aviation industry’s sustainability journey?
- How is aircraft design being optimized to reduce climate impact?
- What are the key challenges in experimenting with new technologies and fuels?
- Can you tell us about the progress of the D328eco?
- How vital is collaboration in meeting sustainability goals?
- Are there any exciting partnerships on the horizon?
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by Jessica Brownlow | Apr 2, 2025 | AI & ML, Avionics, Connectivity, Flight Ops IT, Innovation, MRO IT, Sustainability
Earlier today, the five winners of this year’s Aerospace Tech Review (ATR) Awards were announced onsite at Aerospace Tech Week Europe in Munich. The awards recognise individuals and companies for their outstanding contributions to the aerospace industry in 2024.
Each category featured three deserving finalists, carefully selected from publication nominations, with the winners chosen by an expert judging panel prior to the event.
Sven Krause announced the results at the close of day one at Aerospace Tech Week Europe, putting a spotlight on the innovators, visionaries, and first-movers who are shaping the future of aerospace.
Top innovator – Individual person who has pushed the boundaries to make a lasting impact on the industry
Winner: Maxime Meijers (Co-Founder & CEO, Estuaire) for his leadership combining atmospheric modeling with real-time operational insights to address the full climate footprint.
Finalists: Victor Oribamise (CEO, Kquika), Eng. Catherine Cordonia (COO, DaS LAB)
Most disruptive start up – Start up that has shaken the industry, bringing a fresh approach to challenges/forward thinking solutions
Winner: AIXI – Founded to help airlines leverage decades of historical maintenance and reliability data to solve real-world challenges.
Finalists: Cosmofoil, JELLYSPACE
Speaking on the achievement, Cameron Byrd, AIXI CEO & Founder said:
“AIXI is empowering airlines to unlock the full value of their maintenance data with industry specific AI models. Our tools have been in production since 2022 and have most notably helped the maintenance and reliability teams at Southwest Airlines. We are thrilled at being recognized as the Most Disruptive Start-Up at Aerospace Tech Week Europe, which emphasizes our industry-leading tools and innovation.”
Best sustainability initiative – Company that has taken exceptional steps to reduce the industry’s environmental impact or significantly raised the standard for sustainability
Winner: Iberia Maintenance for its use of SAF in their test bench, producing renewable energy via solar panels, and broadening its in house repair capabilities to reduce emissions.
Finalists: EL AL, Airbus
Most creative product applying AI – Driving progress and opening up new possibilities
Winner: Kquika’s Trakt System which leverages AI and machine learning to revolutionise aircraft maintenance, addressing the aviation industry’s labor shortage and operational inefficiencies.
Finalists: Skypuzzler’s iDATC, DaS LAB’s Project StopOver
Collaboration of the year – Two or more companies whose collaboration has resulted in significant advancement for the sector
Winner: Airbus & Telefónica who have come together to transform the aerospace sector through the power of 5G technology.
Finalists: Spectrum Control & 3D Glass Solutions, International Aerospace Environmental Group’s Work Group 13
Natalie England, Project Director, Aerospace Tech Week said:
“This is the first year of the ATR Awards and we are thrilled to celebrate some of the remarkable people and products that are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this dynamic industry. Aerospace Tech Week Europe brings together key players in the industry ecosystem to drive innovation, making it the perfect place to announce the results.”
For more information on Aerospace Tech Week, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn.
by Jessica Brownlow | Mar 17, 2025 | Avionics, Innovation, Sustainability, Video
At Aerospace Tech Week Europe, Steffen Wenzel, Partner, Head of Aerospace & Defence, h&z Consulting will be chairing a selection of avionics tracks as well as moderating key sessions including a sustainability focused discussion with Anna von Groote, Director General of EUROCAE.
In this brief conversation, Wenzel draws on his 15 years of experience in the aerospace and defence industry to assess the current landscape. The discussion touched on everything from quantum computing to avionics, AI to sustainability.
Wenzel picked out sustainability as one of the industry’s major challenges. Unpacking the variety of solutions that will be necessary to curb emissions, he picked out SAF, hybrid-electric technology, route optimisation, and enhanced air traffic management as near term solutions that are already shaping the landscape.
Speaking about the upcoming event in Munich, Wenzel explained the sessions onsite will be critical in understanding how avionics will develop in the coming years. Sharing a glimpse into what to expect, Wenzel said:
“One area is cross-aircraft collaboration to avoid turbulence, which is an exciting area of innovation. Essentially, aircraft will be able to communicate with each other in real-time to share turbulence data, helping improve passenger comfort and operational efficiency.
Another key topic is Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and the innovations they offer to operators. These advancements will improve navigation accuracy and allow for more precise and fuel-efficient routing, which is crucial as we work toward making aviation more sustainable.
On a more technical level, we will also be looking at multicore processors in avionics systems. This is a topic that has been around for some time, but it remains a challenge, particularly when it comes to certification…”
Watch the full conversation below. To join us at ATW Europe book your ticket now!
Questions asked include:
- What are the most exciting opportunities we are seeing with aerospace?
- What are the biggest challenges the industry is facing?
- Can you highlight some of key themes you expect to hear on stage at in April?
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by Jessica Brownlow | Mar 6, 2025 | Innovation, Sustainability
Originally published on World Aviation Festival
Delta Air Lines has announced a “game-changing” new partnership with start up JetZero to catalyse the production of a blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft. The aircraft design is expected to be up to 50 per cent more fuel-efficient than today’s models.
The official partnership, announced yesterday, follows JetZero’s existing collaboration with the US Air Force, which awarded the start up a grant in 2023.
JetZero plans to launch its first aircraft in 2030 with 100 per cent SAF compatibility, bolstered by support from the US Air Force, NASA, and the FAA.
Delta will “provide the operational expertise to help make this technology viable,” committing its extensive knowledge of maintenance and operational insights to develop the aircraft.
Speaking on the announcement, Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer said:
“Working with JetZero to realise an entirely new airframe and experience for customers and employees is bold and important work to advance the airline industry’s fuel saving initiatives and innovation goals. While Delta is focused on doing what we can today to address our carbon footprint, it’s critical we also work with a variety of partners to advance revolutionary technologies, like JetZero’s blended-wing-body aircraft, to solve for a significant portion of future aviation emissions.”
JetZero is the fourth “revolutionary fleet” partnership the carrier has signed as it assumes a leading role in shaping the future of sustainable aviation.
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