Shares of Boeing Co (NYSE: BA) moves up 1.41% in early trading session on Thursday as to expedite innovation for sustainability and safety, the company is extending its ecoDemonstrator flight-test program. The business revealed today its 2023 plan to evaluate 19 technologies on the Boeing 777 ecoDemonstrator, as well as the addition of “Explorer” planes that will focus on specific technology.
The first ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a 787-10 Dreamliner, will fly from Seattle to Tokyo, Singapore, and Bangkok in June to demonstrate how coordinating navigation across global airspace jurisdictions can improve operational efficiency, reducing an airplane’s fuel use and emissions by up to 10%. Boeing and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in the United States, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand will use today’s onboard capabilities to collectively sequence the airplane’s routes to achieve the optimal flight path across multiple regions, taking into account conditions such as weather, air traffic, and airspace closures. At each destination, the jet will use the highest available mix of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal stated that to support their industry’s goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Boeing is expanding their ecoDemonstrator program with Explorer airplanes to test even more sustainability-focused technologies. They continue to invest in innovation that reduces fuel use, emissions and noise on their products and to partner with governments and industry to make progress on sustainability during each phase of flight.
Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond articulated that the industry will need continued fleet renewal, efficiency gains, renewable energy carriers such as sustainable aviation fuel, and advanced technology to meet the civil aviation industry’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Their initial Explorer testing in partnership with aviation stakeholders from four countries is a great example of how they can work together to optimize operational efficiency and reduce emissions.
The Boeing ecoDemonstrator initiative has expedited innovation by taking novel technologies out of the lab and evaluating them in an operating setting since its inception in 2012. By 2023, the initiative will have evaluated around 250 innovations to assist decarbonize aviation, increase operational efficiency, and improve safety and passenger experience. A third of the evaluated innovations have made their way into Boeing’s products and services.
