Boeing To Expand ecoDemonstrator Flight Testing

Boeing is planning to expand its ecoDemonstrator flight test program for 2023 using a company-owned 777-200ER and adding “Explorer” aircraft. This year, the 777 ecoDemonstrator will be used to assess 19 technologies focused on sustainability and safety including sustainable wall panels in the cargo hold, a fiber optic fuel quantity sensor and an electronic flight bag application featuring smart airport maps. New to this year’s program, the Explorer aircraft will test specific technologies and concepts with the first, a 787-10 Dreamliner, slated to demonstrate “how coordinating navigation across global airspace jurisdictions can improve operational efficiency.”

“To support our industry’s goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Boeing is expanding our ecoDemonstrator program with Explorer airplanes to test even more sustainability-focused technologies,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal. “We continue to invest in innovation that reduces fuel use, emissions and noise on our products and to partner with governments and industry to make progress on sustainability during each phase of flight.”

Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program launched in 2012 and has used nine aircraft to date. The most recent, the 777-200ER, joined the program last year. According to Boeing, ecoDemonstrator will have tested around 250 technologies by the end of 2023, approximately one-third of which have gone on to be integrated into the company’s products and services.