NASA has chosen Boeing and its industrial team to lead the development and flight testing of a transonic lattice-wing demonstrator aircraft. Technologies demonstrated and tested through the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) program will inform future designs and could lead to breakthrough gains in aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. NASA will invest $425 million over seven years in this project, Boeing and its industrial partners about $725 million.
Combined with expected advancements in propulsion systems, materials and system architecture, a single-aisle aircraft with a TTBW configuration could reduce fuel burn and emissions by up to 30% compared to the most efficient single-aisle aircraft in Europe. today, according to the mission.
The SFD program aims to advance the civil aviation industry’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as well as the goals set out in the U.S. Climate Action Plan for the United States. White House Air Force.
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Once again weakened results for European airlines
With fuel accounting for up to 35% of their costs, professionals believe European airlines are unlikely to return to profit until 2023 or 2024 at the earliest. These players predict that energy prices will remain high at least until 2023. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced a forecast of cumulative losses of 9.7 billion dollars in 2022 for airlines at around the world, it will still be necessary to wait until 2023 to see the return to profits on a global scale, due in particular to the surge in oil costs and the rise in labor costs. On the positive side, travel demand seems to be resisting the uncertainties caused by the international economic and political situation. However, the uncertainties concerning the Covid, the war in Ukraine, as well as the rise in prices are strengthening last-minute reservations. According to Iata, only 8% of international reservations made at the end of May went beyond September.
The social climate is deteriorating in low-cost companies
These companies are benefiting from a very strong recovery. They had already managed to monopolize 40% of air traffic in 2021, this proportion could even rise to 50% this year. However, strike movements have affected the activity of Volotea, EasyJet and Ryanair, with confrontations over pay and working conditions. In general, the sector faces a shortage of personnel. After having severely cut their workforce in 2020 and 2021, companies and airports must urgently recruit to support the relaunch of activity.
The end of a duopoly?
For several decades, the American Boeing and the European Airbus have shared 99% of the world market for airliners with more than 110 seats. This market weighs more than 100 billion dollars per year. However, this duopoly seems to be weakened in 2022 for several reasons. First, for the first time, two medium-haul single-aisle aircraft, the Chinese Comac’s C919 and the Russian Irkut’s MC-21, are about to enter service. Added to this is the Boeing 737 MAX crisis. With the cessation of deliveries of this aircraft between 2019 and 2021, the production balance has been broken. In 2021 Boeing posted 340 deliveries, with Airbus remaining well ahead with 611.