Aviation

It's controversial, but slogging passengers with a body-weight surcharge is still on the table for many airlines, be it for profit or the environment. But it seems attitudes, particularly among younger travelers, is shifting on the contentious issue.

A major player in aerospace innovation has bitten the dust. Reaction Engines, a developer of hypersonic engine technology since 1989, has gone into administration and its closure is having an impact on the hypersonic weapons program of Britain and others.

Chinese battery giant CATL says it's successfully flown a 4-ton plane using its ultra-high density "condensed batteries." It now expects to have an 8-ton electric aircraft with a range of 2,000 to 3,000 km (1,240-1,865 miles) operating in 3-4 years.

Fast-tracking the hypersonic era, Hermeus has rolled out the next prototype of its program, to create a family of aircraft that can fly beyond Mach 5. The Quarterhorse Mk 1 is set to fly later this year, testing its high-speed takeoffs and landings.

The basic shape of a passenger jet hasn’t really changed much for decades, but radical new shapes are inching closer to production. JetZero has announced that its beautiful blended-wing demonstrator has been FAA-approved to begin test flights.

The first private supersonic aircraft since Concorde retired two decades ago has successfully taken to the skies. On March 22, Boom's XB-1 supersonic demonstrator completed its maiden flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California.

A simple, cheap pretreatment promises to radically cut the price of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from waste wood biomass – potentially making it cost-competitive with fossil-based jet fuel, while cutting down emissions by up to 80%.

A Dutch startup says everyone's hugely underestimating the potential of battery-electric aircraft – that it's possible to build large battery-electric airliners covering distances most assume we'll need hydrogen for. Elysian plans to prove it.

The US Air Force's XQ-58A Valkyrie experimental combat drone has made its first flight under the control of artificial intelligence. On July 25, 2023, the robotic aircraft completed a three-hour sortie at the Eglin Test and Training Complex in Florida.

Covering short distances with zero emissions is the modus operandi for electric aviation startups like Eviation, whose Alice plane has caught the eye of Air New Zealand as the carrier works to reduce its carbon footprint.

Rolls-Royce and easyJet have edged the era of clean aviation a little closer to take-off, with the successful testing of a modern jet engine using hydrogen as fuel, and flight testing in the pipeline.

An aviation company at the cutting edge of electrified air travel has taken a significant step forward, completing a first-of-a-kind test flight using a retrofitted seaplane to demonstrate the viability of its cleaner approach to short-haul flights.