The energy requirements of future aircraft must be reduced by at least half by 2050 if aviation is to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century, according to a new aviation strategy adopted by German national aviation research agency DLR.

Europe is expanding its technology base for hydrogen propulsion as the region’s industry pushes to field zero-emissions commercial aircraft by the mid-2030s. 

Traditional aerospace suppliers are investing in their capabilities to develop systems for emerging electric aircraft. 

In Vancouver, British Columbia, Harbour Air Seaplanes has begun modifying a second de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver to electric propulsion and will begin certification flight testing in 2022.

Swedish startup Heart Aerospace has flown a subscale model of its ES-19 electric regional airliner.

EASA has granted regional aircraft manufacturer ATR approval to significantly extend the intervals between C-Checks for its turboprops. 

Boeing has delivered about 180 of its stored 737 MAXs since December 2020, leaving the company with 290 in the inventory accumulated during the model’s grounding and setting it up for a possible bottleneck if the pace does not accelerate amid a planned production-rate hike, Aviation Week data show. 

Issues on a global scale face the aerospace and defense industry in 2022. Here are some events to watch for in the year ahead.