by Elsie Clark | Nov 20, 2025 | Innovation
Airbus will open a Tech Hub in Daejeon, South Korea for collaborative research and development.
Three Memoranda of Understanding have been signed to advance the project, which will focus on future energy technologies, advanced lightweight composites, and next-generation space and defence tech. The Hub will be Airbus’s fourth globally, joining others in Japan, the Netherlands, and Singapore. All four aim to leverage local intersections between the private sector, academia, and the government to drive innovation.
Airbus has a long history with its partners in South Korea, dating back to 1974. It is estimated that the company currently employs around 6,000 jobs and contributes US$600 million to the country’s economy.
Mark Bentall, Head of R&T Programme at Airbus, commented:
After five decades of successful industrial partnership with Korea, this step to launch the Airbus Tech Hub in Daejeon is a clear signal of our deepening commitment. The Tech Hub allows Airbus to tap into advanced technologies in Korea, which will help fast-track future aircraft technologies and continue to develop Korea as our trusted, long-term partner.
Exciting projects Airbus hope to advance in Daejeon include space chip antennae with LIG Nex1, as well as electromagnetic interference suppression with EMCoretech. The Tech Hub is also complemented by the Composite Technology Centre (CTC) in Busan, which will work with the Daejeon office to produce composite materials and new processes.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026, where Dr Sabine Klauke, Airbus’s Chief Technology Officer, will be speaking.
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by Elsie Clark | Sep 12, 2025 | AI & ML, Innovation, MRO IT
Copenhagen Airport (CPH) has introduced a new solution for real-time monitoring emissions from auxiliary power units (APUs).
The Danish airport has rolled out Assaia’s EmissionsControl technology across its stands. Airports often struggle to reduce APU emissions due to a lack of data on how runtime is influenced by locations and weather conditions. Through this new development, CPH claims to have become the world’s first airport to utilise the innovative monitoring solution.
Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), Assaia’s system deploys cameras to track APU usage during aircraft turnarounds. This provides CPH with comprehensive data on APU usage patterns that can then inform effective carbon reduction strategies.
CPH’s chief operating officer Kristoffer Plenge-Brandt said:
The use of APU contributes to noise and emissions of CO₂ and air pollution, including ultrafine particles, which are a concern for both our employees and our neighbouring communities.
That’s why we aim to reduce APU usage as much as possible. With this new tool, we can identify when our operational guidelines are not being met and understand the reasons behind it
Weather conditions are key to understanding APU runtime. Extreme cold temperatures require longer warmup times, while hot weather necessitates internal cooling systems. CPH’s data-centric approach means they can optimise APU usage without relying on assumptions, as has previously been practice.
Alongside improving ground operations, the initiative contributes to CPH’s 2030 net-zero emissions target. Airlines flying into the airport will also benefit from decreased fuel consumption and lower operational costs.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss the future of operational sustainability in aviation.
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by Elsie Clark | Sep 10, 2025 | AI & ML, Innovation
A new strategic partnership between Adacel Technologies and Smart Eye will enhance the MaxSim air traffic control (ATC) simulation platform. MaxSim currently provides the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), Air Force, and U.S. Army with controller training across a variety of scenarios.
Through integration with Smart Eye’s artificial intelligence (AI) programme, MaxSim will monitor trainee controllers’ eye movements and attention patterns during simulation exercises. This will allow instructors to analyse objective, quantifiable data on the trainees’ development, ultimately improving learning and preparedness.
Adacel vice president Michael Saunders commented:
Partnering with Smart Eye now brings advanced eye-tracking analytics into MaxSim, giving instructors unprecedented insight into attention, decision-making, and situational awareness—further enhancing safety and training effectiveness.
As well as ATC training, the sophisticated human performance analytics system has the potential to roll out across other aviation training in due course.
Improved training critical to planned ATC upgrades
The Adacel/Smart Eye partnership comes as the US begins a major overhaul of its ATC system. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the plans in May 2025, and recently stated that the upgrade could cost US$31.5 billion.
Training new air traffic controllers is essential to these development plans. The FAA ended 2024 with around 3,900 controllers short of targets, but the ensuing recruitment drive has left instructors overworked. Adacel and Smart Eye’s new partnership will provide data that not only enhances ATC training programmes, but reduces the burden on instructors to evaluate performance.
Join us at Aerospace Tech Week 2026 to discuss the future of air traffic control, technology, and connectivity.
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