Delta Air Lines has announced a significant partnership with Airbus’ UpNext innovation lab, aiming to advance next-generation aviation technologies. This collaboration was revealed during Delta’s keynote at CES 2025. The airline and Airbus will also invest in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the Minnesota SAF Hub, marking the first large-scale SAF hub in the United States.
As Delta marks its centennial year, it is focusing on shaping the future of aviation for the next century. The partnership with Airbus UpNext positions both companies at the forefront of technological advancements in aviation. They aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 by exploring innovations in aircraft design, fuel use cases, and flying techniques that optimize fuel efficiency.
Delta’s sustainability strategy includes optimizing flying operations and accelerating clean fuel availability. “It’s estimated that 80 percent or more of the world’s population has never experienced air travel,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines. “Our job isn’t to transport people. It’s to bring them together.”
The collaboration between Delta’s Sustainable Skies Lab and Airbus’ innovation labs focuses on early-stage technology solutions for future aviation. The two companies will explore various technologies such as wing performance, superconductivity, and advanced aircraft assistance.
Delta will actively participate in designing experiments and testing early-stage features on its fleet. Later this year, Delta will join Airbus’ fello’fly test flight, which aims to reduce fuel consumption by utilizing wake energy retrieval inspired by migrating geese.
Airbus is also joining the Minnesota SAF Hub to scale SAF production and replace conventional jet fuel. Julie Kitcher, Chief Sustainability Officer at Airbus, stated: “With Delta, we are redefining the future of aviation.”
The partnership extends to exploring hydrogen-powered aircraft through the Airbus ZEROe project and other innovative projects like DragonFly and HyPower under Airbus UpNext.
Michael Augello, CEO of Airbus UpNext, highlighted their goals: “We want to demonstrate the operability and integration of the system…climbing to 25,000 ft and flying for one hour with 10kg of gaseous hydrogen on board.”
