Pioneering technology for sustainable aviation industry at Dubai Airshow by Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce participation at this year Dubai Airshow will present the experts and partnerships that are driving our sustainable aviation strategy. Rolls-Royce’s senior leadership team, including Chris Cholerton, President of Civil Aerospace, Ewen McDonald, Chief Customer Office and Rob Watson, Director of Electrical, will be on hand to brief customers and stakeholders.

John Kelly, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace, Senior Vice President MENA, said: “The Dubai Airshow is proof that confidence is building. Local national carriers are already flying to more than 100 countries, evidence of the effectiveness in managing the safety of passengers and employees. We are delighted that so many of the stakeholders in the industry have demonstrated such resilience, something that will help on the journey ahead. We are here to support this process and present solutions that become the foundation for sustainable aviation.” 

Key themes include the electrification flight, a core pillar supporting the transition towards sustainable aviation by developing power systems for the future. The team will reveal how its work on the record breaking ACCEL electric demonstrator, the Spirit of Innovation, is future-proofing technology for adoption into larger airframes, such as Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and commuter aircraft.

Rolls-Royce will present its work with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and how it is supporting the drive for greater adoption of 100% SAF as a key element in the journey towards decarbonising flight. Active partnerships with Shell and Airbus, together with German research centre DLR and SAF producer Neste, are indicative of the extensive efforts being made by Rolls-Royce to pioneer production and usage. 

Tests have already been successfully carried out on Trent XWB and Pearl engines, and, recently, 100% SAF was used to power a Trent 1000 engine on its B747 Flying Testbed aircraft. Rolls-Royce is committed to making all Trent engines 100% SAF compatible by 2023, accelerating the move of long-haul aviation towards net zero.