Innovation
The startup building an AI platform to support airline operations
Last week, Overwatch AI announced they'd successfully raised $1.5 million in funding, with contributors including the venture arms of United Airlines and Pegasus. Back in March, we spoke to CPTO Nikita Kaeshko at our sister event Aviation Festival Asia, fresh off the...
Microsensors detect ice build-up on aircraft wings in real time
A new microsensor developed by a startup at the University of Surrey can detect ice build-up on an aircraft's wings in real time. Surrey Sensors say their 3cm-long sensors will help pilots understand what's happening to their wings during a flight and ultimately make...
Soji AI and Active Partners collaborate on AI for MRO records
Singaporean software developers Soji AI have announced a new collaboration with Active Partners to advance AI use in MRO record keeping. Under the partnership, the parties will explore how technology can optimise the delivery and inspection of aircraft and engines....
Heroes don’t scale: Why the airline OCC is quietly becoming a trading floor
The disruption environment changed underneath the people we trained to absorb it. The job description has quietly moved from fire station to portfolio management — and most operations are still running on the old manual. By Joshua Goring, Chief Commercial Officer,...
Japan’s first vertiport consortium targets operations by 2028
A new vertiport consortium led by eVOL developers SkyDrive hopes to make commercial air taxi services a reality in Japan. With partners including Osaka Metro Company, Soracle, and Marubeni Corporation, SkyDrive plan to launch their aircraft in the Kansai prefecture...
Jet fuel prices surge as Middle East conflict continues
Jet fuel prices have topped US$200 a barrel as the fallout from the US-Israel attack on Iran continues to destabilise Middle Eastern oil production. IATA's Jet Fuel Price Monitor found that the average price had more than doubled, with costs surging by 58.4% on 6...
Eve, Alt Air, Skyports to team up on Australian eVTOL network
Eve Air Mobility are partnering with Sydney-based startup Alt Air and Skyports to bring a commercial eVTOL network to Australia. The three companies will collaborate to develop sustainable infrastructure that will make air taxis viable transport in Queensland and New...
Equilibrion and Rolls Royce to develop nuclear-powered SAF production
Equilibrion and Rolls Royce have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop British sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production through nuclear power. The Rolls Royce small modular reactor (SMR) can support the deployment of cost-effective, sustainable...
UK expand LEO satellite programme with £30m in funding
The UK government has issued £30 million in funding as it expands its low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite programme. Run by the UK Space Agency, the investment supports British businesses developing innovative satellite components and technologies. LEO satellites are...
Aerospace Tech Week confirms partnership with ADS Group
Aerospace Tech Week, the premier international exhibition and conference for the aerospace technology community, is proud to announce a new partnership with ADS Group as the event prepares to launch its inaugural UK edition in London. The move to the UK marks an...
Korean Air and Skyports to develop platform for eVTOL operations
Korean Air and Skyports have announced a new partnership for developing eVTOL operations. Announced at the Drone Show Korea, the collaboration builds on the expertise of both partners to build scalable solutions for advanced air mobility (AAM) integration. Under the...
Avionyx and Rapita partner to accelerate avionics development
Avionyx and Rapita Systems have announced they are partnering to accelerate avionics development. With software compliance issues constraining eVTOL and aircraft supply chains, the companies say their collaboration will help the aerospace industry hit regulatory...
Airline investment in startups hit five-year low in 2025
Research from Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH) finds that airline investment in startups has hit a five-year low. Airlines completed 31 innovation deals in 2025, down from 39 in 2024 and well below the 2018 peak of 49 deals. Furthermore, only 7 airlines were responsible...
Airbus reports 2025 results, plans for 870 deliveries in 2026
European aircraft and aerospace manufacturer Airbus have published their full-year 2025 financial performance, recording revenue of €73.4 billion and a record backlog of 8,754 commercial aircraft. Revenue was up on 2024's €69.2 billion, and Airbus also managed to...
50 years after its first flight, could we revive Concorde?
An icon of British and French engineering, the first commercial Concorde flight took off 50 years ago on 21 January 1976. But more than two decades after the famous jet touched down for the last time, are supersonic aircraft making a return above the Atlantic? Capable...
Heathrow raises SAF mandate above UK government targets
London Heathrow Airport has set the ambitious target of exceeding the UK government's sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) target by 2% in 2026. This year, regulations stipulate that 3.6% of all aviation fuel used in the UK should be sustainable. However, Heathrow is going...
Singapore and GE Aerospace to establish innovation centre
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), GE Aerospace, and the International Centre for Aviation Innovation (ICAI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an innovation centre. The Singapore...
AutoFlight debut ‘world’s first’ 10-passenger eVTOL
Chinese developers AutoFlight have debuted Matrix, what they claim is the world's first 10-passenger eVTOL. Weighing five tons, the air taxi took to the skies for the first time in a public demonstration on 5 February. AutoFlight say the design even includes...
Cathay Group selects Thales for avionics on 30 Airbus aircraft
The Cathay Group has selected Thales to provide advanced avionics for its latest fleet expansion. The agreement covers 30 Airbus A330neo aircraft for Cathay Pacific and 18 A321neo/A320neo jets for its budget carrier, HK Express. A central feature of the deal is the...
Musk businesses SpaceX and xAI to merge and form ‘innovation engine’
Two of Elon Musk's key businesses, SpaceX and xAI, are to merge as the tech mogul consolidates his business interests. Experts suggest the merger will create the world's most valuable private company. Operating across space and satellites, SpaceX has become one of the...