Etihad Airways, Boeing Partner to Develop Technologies for Safer Skies

Etihad Airways and Boeing will work together starting in August on the seventh iteration of the ecoDemonstrator programme to test innovative technologies in the air to increase safety and sustainability.

The ecoDemonstrator programme utilises commercial aircraft as flying testbeds to accelerate technology development that will make commercial aviation safer and more sustainable now and into the future.

The 2020 program will be the first to use a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.

It will leverage the Etihad Greenliner programme as part of the broader Etihad-Boeing Strategic Partnership to test cutting-edge technologies and explore “blue sky” opportunities to improve airspace efficiency, reduce fuel use, and cut CO₂ emissions.

Tony Douglas, Etihad Aviation Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is the latest programme under Etihad’s industry-leading strategic partnership with Boeing, focusing on innovating real-world solutions to the key sustainability challenges facing the aviation industry.

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“When we launched the partnership with the announcement of the Etihad Greenliner programme at the Dubai Airshow last year, we promised it was just the beginning of a deep, structural partnership between our two organisations that would go on to lead the industry towards a sustainable future.

Boeing and Etihad will work with industry leading partners, including NASA and Safran Landing Systems, to conduct aircraft noise measurements from sensors on the airplane and the ground.

The data will be used to validate aircraft noise prediction processes and the sound reduction potential of aircraft designs, including landing gear, that are modified for quieter operations.

In addition, a flight will be conducted during which pilots, air traffic controllers and an airline’s operations center will simultaneously share digital information to optimize routing efficiency and enhance safety by reducing workload and radio frequency congestion.

Test flights will be flown on a blend of sustainable fuel, which significantly lowers aviation’s environmental footprint. The testing programme is expected to last approximately four weeks before Etihad’s Boeing 787-10 is entered into service in Abu Dhabi.

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