{"id":1160,"date":"2021-06-08T12:57:32","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T11:57:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenairnews.com\/?p=1160"},"modified":"2021-07-23T10:42:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-23T09:42:07","slug":"alaska-airlines-joins-boeings-upcoming-ecodemonstrator-phase-focusing-on-reducing-engine-noise-and-ghg-measurement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenairnews.com\/?p=1160","title":{"rendered":"Alaska Airlines joins Boeing\u2019s upcoming ecoDemonstrator phase focusing on reducing engine noise and GHG measurement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max narrowbody is the latest aircraft to enter Boeing\u2019s ecoDemonstrator Program<\/a>, a technology advancement initiative the manufacturer has been running for almost a decade with a host of airline and industry partners. The programme \u201caccelerates innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in the air to solve real-world challenges for airlines, passengers and the environment,\u201d Boeing told Mark Pilling<\/em>. Since the first programme in 2012, 195 projects have been tested on eight airplanes and Alaska is the latest carrier to take part following collaborations with American Airlines, TUI, FedEx and Etihad Airways, alongside organisations such as NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A further 20 projects are planned to debut on Alaska\u2019s 737, said Rae Lutters, ecoDemonstrator Program Director and Chief Engineer, speaking during a recent Boeing briefing. About a third of the technologies tested to date have made their way onto products on Boeing airliners, she explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Alaska Airlines 737 Max will be operated by Boeing\u2019s ecoDemonstrator team during a testing phase slated for June to December this year. The brand-new aircraft will feature a special livery that it will retain when it enters revenue service with the carrier in mid-2022, said Lutters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a long history of working with Boeing to advance aviation technology, safety and fuel efficiency,\u201d said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines\u2019<\/a> VP Public Affairs and Sustainability. \u201cThis work with Boeing to accelerate innovation on the ecoDemonstrator programme enables us to contribute to a more sustainable future for our global community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added Lutters: \u201cWe have a large pipeline of technologies we are looking at for years ahead and those drive the airline platform we\u2019d like to choose. With the right platform and if an airline has an interest in their sustainability mission we see if there is a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 737-9 Max is that platform and Alaska Airlines as the interested airline meant the two came together in \u201cthe right place at the right time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe technologies being explored mainly have a positive impact on an aspect of furthering sustainable aviation. This is embedded in our DNA now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Doug Christensen, Boeing Technical Fellow and ecoDemonstrator Program Technical Leader, the main technologies being investigated on Alaska\u2019s 737 Max include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n