Southwest carriers in Dallas and American in Fort Worth are two of the five U.S. carriers working with Boeing and NASA to provide guidance on the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project and the creation of the X-66A research aircraft.
Alaska Airlines, Delta, and United are additional airlines that are a part of the consortium. According to Boeing, the airlines will offer feedback on operational effectiveness, maintenance, handling qualities, and airport compatibility.Todd Citron, chief technology officer at Boeing, stated in a statement that "hearing directly from the operators during all phases of the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project will help us understand exact requirements and tradeoffs." The X-66A project will learn a lot from the airlines' feedback, which will also advance aviation sustainability.
At a Boeing facility in Palmdale, California, the X-66A, which was constructed from a modified MD-90 aircraft, will test the Transonic Truss-Braced Wing airframe arrangement.According to the business, it is NASA's first X-plane designed to aid in the organization's pursuit of net-zero aviation greenhouse gas emissions.Boeing claims that a single-aisle aircraft with a TTBW layout could lower fuel consumption and emissions by up to 30% when coupled with any improvements in propulsion systems, materials, and systems architecture.