by Elsie Clark | May 18, 2026 | Flight Ops IT, Innovation
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 aviation safer. Dr David Birch, one of the leaders of the project, said:
What’s important is not just detecting ice, but understanding how it is affecting the aircraft’s performance. Combining different sensing approaches will help to make these measurements far more robust – particularly in the harsh conditions where current systems are most vulnerable.
Developed in collaboration with the Canadian Flight Test Centre of Excellence, the sensor could also make aircraft more fuel-efficient by reducing reliance on anti-icing systems. Alistair Chapman, Director of Marketing at Certification Center Canada, added:
Knowing your stall margin in all phases of flight is critical. Combining these technologies will both further address this safety issue and open up new possibilities for a rotary environment. Together, Surrey Sensors Limited and Flight Test Centre of Excellence are poised to set new standards in aerospace safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability through innovative airflow sensing technologies.
Even incremental layers of ice on plane wings can significantly disrupt aircraft aerodynamics. When ice builds up, airflow is reduced, cutting lift, increasing drag, and making take-off more dangerous.
While climate change is mostly associated with rising heat, it increases the frequency of extreme weather of all kinds – including freezing temperatures, hail, and snowstorms. As these events will only become more regular, it is essential that the aviation industry develop better systems for monitoring ice on aircraft to ensure safety on all flights.
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by Elsie Clark | Apr 27, 2026 | Innovation, Sustainability
Now operational in Kent, UK, Clean Planet Technologies has opened a facility that can convert used plastics into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The first plant of its kind in the world, the process takes waste that cannot be recycled and turns it into fuel, producing 75% less carbon than regular jet fuel.
Clean Planet Group say that around 80% of the 5 million tonnes of plastic the UK produces each year go to waste. Its Sustainability Aviation Centre is supported by the Department of Transport’s UK SAF Clearing House, with fuel output to be certified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
CEO Bertie Stephens commented:
This pilot opens up new ways to make sustainable aviation fuel, just as existing feedstocks such as energy crops are becoming harder to secure. It also positions the UK as a leader in turning waste plastics into SAF, supports UK and European SAF targets and is helping clear the path to commercial‑scale plants later this decade, and remove plastic waste from the environment.
The process begins by shredding the plastic waste into equal pieces, which pass through pyrolysis units to melt them into a synthetic crude oil. This product is then purified, distilled, and hydroprocessed to remove impurities and meet SAF specifications.
The UK government has currently set a SAF mandate of 10% for the aviation industry, which will rise to 22% in 2040. Dr. Katerina Garyfalou, Chief Operating Officer at Clean Planet Technologies, added:
The Sustainability Innovation Centre is set up to demonstrate our patented waste-plastics-to-SAF process at pilot scale, supporting fuel testing, validation and progression. The important thing is that our pilot facility will support the growth of others, helping the UK to meet its SAF mandate.
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by Elsie Clark | Mar 18, 2026 | Sustainability
The UK’s ‘Jet Zero’ taskforce have published their first annual report after the government introduced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) targets at the beginning of 2025.
The mandate sets guidelines for achieving 10% SAF blending by 2030. Supported by a Revenue Certainty Mechanism and a £63 million Advanced Fuels Fund, aviation minister Keir Mather said at the Sustainable Skies World Summit that the progress made so far was ‘encouraging’. He added:
We must be clear eyed that there is still a long way to go on this journey and there are real challenges ahead but there are enormous opportunities too.
The green transition is not only about protecting our planet but also about strengthening our economy and our resilience. In an uncertain world, energy security has never been more important and that is why we must keep building momentum, boosting the production and deployment of SAF, backing technological renovation, improving efficiency and building robust carbon markets.
Alongside scaling SAF, the UK government is expanding the Hydrogen Challenge programme and launching a £240 million fund for next-generation aerospace technologies. Sustainable Aviation also announced a £2 million greenhouse gas removals (GGR) initative alongside the report, with estimates suggesting that the UK’s aviation industry will need 20 to 30 million tonnes of carbon removed each year by 2050.
Duncan McCourt, Chief Executive of Sustainable Aviation, said:
The UK aviation industry is working hard to address its climate impact. Scaling Greenhouse Gas Removals is essential for hard-to-abate sectors, and this Advanced Market Signal is the aviation industry acting now to help stimulate the growth of the GGR sector.
We have also made clear today that the aviation industry supports action to address the non-CO₂ impact of aviation. By accelerating research, trials and collaboration, we can deliver practical solutions that reduce aviation’s full climate impact.
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by Elsie Clark | Feb 16, 2026 | Innovation, Sustainability
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 further with a 5.6% target, backed by an £80 million fund.
Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said:
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is not a hypothetical concept for the future, it’s already producing real impact in 2026. Heathrow is leading the way globally, with 17% of the world’s SAF supply in 2024 used at the airport. SAF is a key lever on aviation’s journey to net zero by 2050, and a key element of Heathrow’s Net Zero Plan. Our incentive delivers real progress today, as well as a future promise for tomorrow.
The initiative forms part of Heathrow’s wider sustainability plans, which will also see it exceed UK government mandates. By 2030, 10% of fuel used in the country must be SAF, but Heathrow plans to scale their targets to achieve 11% SAF use that same year. The £80 million will help make SAF more competitive with traditional kerosene fuels while reducing the cost impact on airlines — a common criticism of existing SAF mandates.
Overall, the plans will see 350,000 tonnes of SAF used at Heathrow in 2026. This results in a carbon saving of approximately 600,000 tonnes, the equivalent of 950,000 economy passengers flying a round-trip between Heathrow and JFK.
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by Elsie Clark | Jan 20, 2026 | Innovation
The UK government is launching a new fund worth up to £43 million (US$58 million) for financing green aviation projects.
Hydrogen propulsion and limiting contrails are two key areas of interest in the competitions, which will run in February. The funding comes from Innovate UK and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Avoiding contrails is of special interest as the aviation industry attempts to balance decarbonisation with growth. Most emissions produced by contrails are avoidable, and the programme is especially keen to track airlines based in Africa and the Caribbean. Lacking the technology to report emissions accurately, these regions are not saddled with the same green aviation costs as competitors in the UK. The new competitions will help create a more equal environment for all while consolidating a path to net-zero.
Hydrogen fuel has the potential to revolutionise aviation as it only produces water while combusting. However, the technology remains in its infancy and the industry currently considers sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as more reliable. Nevertheless, integrating the hydrogen economy could have a considerable impact on certain operations if scaled correctly. The CAA said they would use the investment as an opportunity to develop regulations for commercial hydrogen aviation.
This latest round of competitions are running alongside the UK’s existing commercial aviation research and development (R&D) strategy, which has committed £2.3 billion in funding over the next ten years. Additionally, a bill guaranteeing a set price on SAF for UK consumers is set to be introduced by the government later this year.
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