Delta has announced a new partnership with Airbus as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations.
\nThe airline says UpNext will position the world\u2019s leading aircraft manufacturer and its largest operator at the forefront of advancing next generation aviation technologies to revolutionise the future of flying.
\nEd Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines said at CES 2025 in Las Vegas: \u201cIt\u2019s estimated that 80 percent or more of the world\u2019s population has never experienced air travel. That\u2019s why, as we continue to expand as an international airline, increasing the world\u2019s access to travel isn\u2019t just an opportunity \u2013 it\u2019s our responsibility.
\n\u201cWe live in a divided world, which is why what we do at Delta is so important. Our job isn\u2019t to transport people. It\u2019s to bring them together.\u201d
\nThe announcement involves three key areas, including a Network of Innovation Labs that sees Delta and Airbus collaborating on early-stage, fast-track technology solutions to advance the future of aviation through Delta\u2019s Sustainable Skies Lab and a multitude of Airbus\u2019 innovation labs across the globe, including Airbus UpNext. The two companies will explore wing performance, fuel efficiency, superconductivity, advanced aircraft assistance, and other technologies which may be needed for future aircraft.
\nAnother part of the partnership is the future flight operations. Delta says it will test a new flying technique pioneered by Airbus called fello\u2019fly which takes inspiration from migrating geese and showcases the power of collaboration by pairing flights. With this flying technique, the first aircraft creates an uplift that drives fuel efficiency for the following aircraft, called wake energy retrieval, which can reduce fuel consumption.
\nScaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel is also part of the initiative and Airbus announced its commitment to join the Minnesota SAF Hub, a first-of-its-kind SAF coalition that brings together stakeholders with a shared commitment to aggressively decarbonise the airline industry.
\n\u201cAt Airbus, we pioneer sustainable aerospace for a safe and united world,\u201d said Julie Kitcher, Airbus Chief Sustainability Officer and Communications.
\n\u201cWith Delta we are redefining the future of aviation. By leveraging our combined expertise, we are accelerating groundbreaking innovations\u2014from advancing cutting-edge flight techniques to scaling up the production of renewable fuels (SAF). Together, we are addressing today\u2019s challenges and shaping a more connected, lower carbon future for generations of travellers to come.\u201d- inflight<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Delta has announced a new partnership with Airbus as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations. The airline says UpNext will position the world\u2019s leading aircraft manufacturer and its largest operator at the forefront of advancing next generation aviation technologies to revolutionise the future of flying. Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines said at CES …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":null,"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[98,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-companies","category-featured-en"],"yoast_head":"\n