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Jet2.com and airline technology company Kyte, today – [24 June 2025] – announce a distribution partnership in a new move from Jet2.com to connect to more travel sellers including TMCs and Corporate Booking Tools. Seats with Jet2.com, the UK’s third largest airline, will now be available on the Kyte platform, with all ancillaries also available. […] More
Technology is making travel on American Airlines easier and more reliable this summer. From planning a trip to getting to your destination, technology is at the center of customers’ travel experiences. “User-friendly technology is part of our daily life and should extend into what our customers experience when they travel on American,” said Ganesh Jayaram, […] More
Qatar Airways, named World’s Best Airline 2025 for a record ninth time by Skytrax, is continuing to set new standards in passenger experience with the launch of its next-generation in-flight entertainment system, powered by Panasonic Avionics’ new Converix platform on its Boeing 777-9 fleet, during the 55th International Paris Air Show. The announcement marks an […] More
DerbySoft, a travel technology company, today announced its strategic partnership with Ryanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline. Under this partnership, DerbySoft has been named an “Approved OTA Aggregator.” This marks a significant step forward in DerbySoft’s expansion into flight technology, following its acquisition of PKFARE, a specialist in air content and hotel inventory aggregation and distribution. […] More
British Airways is embarking on a multi-million-pound investment programme to overhaul its ground support equipment at Heathrow Airport, as part of its commitment to reducing emissions both in the air and on the ground. The airline will gradually be replacing its ground vehicles at Heathrow, such as vans and cars, cargo transporters and passenger steps, moving towards hybrid or electric alternatives where available. Already, more than 90% of British Airways’ vehicles and ground equipment at Heathrow are either zero emissions electrical equipment when being used or driven, (hybrids) or are operating on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel.
Improvements include:
Replacing more than 750 pieces of ground equipment, including fuel bowsers from fossil fuel to HVO. HVO is an interim measure whilst the airline gradually transitions to zero-emissions (when being used or driven) or hybrid equipment. Supplied by the airline’s current sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supplier, Phillips 66, the use of HVO is anticipated to save more than 6,000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to traditional diesel fuel, the equivalent of more than 8,000 round-trip economy passenger journeys between London Heathrow and JFK*.Replacing all diesel passenger aircraft steps with electric alternatives. This aims to reduce fuel consumption by more than 370 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, based on previous diesel usage, which is the equivalent of more than 500 round-trip economy passenger journeys between London Heathrow and JFK*. Many of the electric steps will be in full service by the end of the year.Phasing out its fleet of 20 diesel-powered vehicles which support the loading and unloading of cargo containers onto aircraft, replacing them with Hybrid Electric models.Introducing 135 new electric baggage tugs, accounting for 40% of our tugs, to transport customer’s luggage. This improved battery and charging technology utilises highly efficient lithium-ion battery technology, requiring less energy and producing 30% less C02 when in use compared to traditional lead acid batteries. We are working closely with our supply chain in order to recycle as many battery components as possible at the end of life.Gradually phasing out all 38 diesel passenger buses over the next two years, with 23 expected to be fully electric and the remaining 15 operating on HVO fuel, with a large charging park at Heathrow now in the early stages of development. The use of these vehicles is expected to save 800 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, helping to reduce negative air quality impacts around the Heathrow area.
Tom Moran, British Airways’ Director of Heathrow, said: “At British Airways, we are committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner and our focus isn’t just about reducing emissions in the air, but on the ground too. This major investment into our vehicles at Heathrow is our largest investment in more sustainable airport ground operations to date and is part of our wider environmental objective to minimise emissions from our airside ground operation. We’re proud of the work we are doing in this space and are excited to continue improving the running of our ground operations at Heathrow.”
Carrie Harris, British Airways’ Director of Sustainability said: “I am incredibly proud of this project, which has been driven by our Heathrow ground operations teams and encapsulates our BA Better World ethos of raising awareness of our strategy to all of our colleagues, and inspiring them to play a part in minimising our environmental impact where possible. Their energy, enthusiasm and innovative approach in bringing the project to life shows what can be achieved and this investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to making improvements across our business that will benefit both our customers and colleagues.ADVERTISEMENTThese improvements form part of British Airways’ £7 billion investment in transformation across many aspects of its business over the next three years. They also build on previous ground improvements made by the airline, including the introduction of electric and hybrid cars for driving airside-based colleagues around the airside roadways, using remote-controlled pushback vehicles, called Mototoks, for short-haul aircraft and ensuring aircraft plug into electricity at Heathrow when on stand to help power the lights and air conditioning.
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Swissport International participates in Airbus’ OpenCargoLab, joining forces with industry leaders such as KLM Cargo, Kuehne+Nagel, CHAMP Cargosystems and Fraport, to develop data-driven concepts for the future of air cargo handling.
Swissport International AG has joined the OpenCargoLab initiative, leveraging its expertise as the global leader in aviation services to contribute to the development of data-driven processes for air cargo handling jointly with a group of leading industry players. Launched by Airbus, the OpenCargoLab is as a platform to evaluate how digital innovation, including AI and sensor technologies, can pave the way for more efficient air cargo handling.
“We are proud that Airbus has invited Swissport to represent the global air cargo handling industry in its OpenCargoLab initiative,” says Dirk Goovaerts, Global Cargo Chair and Head of Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa at Swissport International AG. “Being a key member of this initiative underscores our dedication to driving advancements in the air cargo sector, positioning Swissport at the forefront of industry innovation.”
Swissport will bring its extensive expertise in air cargo handling to the table, supporting the OpenCargoLab group in understanding how to best collect and analyse data during the physical handling of cargo. The aim is to improve the efficiency of the overall process. The initiative extends to support the development of technology for the cargo holds of the new Airbus A350F cargo aircraft, aligning with Airbus’ vision of a “smart freighter.”
“We are pleased to welcome Swissport to our OpenCargoLab initiative,” says Marvin Ehrmann, Head of Airbus’ OpenCargoLab. “With their in-depth knowledge of air cargo handling services, combined with the expertise of our experienced partners, we aim to drive the air cargo sector towards greater transparency, efficiency, and connectivity.”ADVERTISEMENT
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Riyadh Air, the new national airline of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that’s shaping the future of flying, announces a fundamental collaboration with Sabre Corporation (NASDAQ: SABR), a leading software and technology provider powering the global travel industry. This strategic partnership underscores Riyadh Air’s commitment to enhancing operational efficiency and driving incremental revenue gains through Sabre’s end-to-end Network Planning and Optimization solutions. Sabre Network Planning and Optimization solutions empower collaborative and intelligent decision-making, ensuring airlines can optimally design their networks, accurately forecast demand, and profitably schedule and allocate available capacity.
Under this groundbreaking deal, Riyadh Air has chosen Sabre’s comprehensive suite of solutions, including Sabre Schedule Manager, Sabre Slot Manager, Sabre Profit Manager, and Sabre Market Intelligence – Global Demand Data (GDD) to achieve its strategic goals and drive its vision.
“Sabre’s technology provides a new level of insight that will enable Riyadh Air to make informed network planning and commercial decisions, ensuring greater revenue returns, allowing us to invest more in enhancing the overall passenger experience,” said Vincent Coste, Chief Commercial Officer, Riyadh Air. “We have carefully selected a stable of world class technical suppliers to power Riyadh Air towards its maiden flight in 2025, and this collaboration is a key milestone in our journey to achieve operational excellence and scale our business efficiently.”
Sabre Schedule Manager is an industry-leading scheduling solution that increases aircraft utilization by optimizing the schedule development process from planning to distribution, thereby increasing revenue potential. This solution seamlessly integrates with a wide range of third-party solutions and has globally assisted airlines in achieving incremental operating margins and increases in productivity, while maintaining robust and operationally feasible schedules.
Sabre Slot Manager is another integral component of Sabre’s suite that automates the slot process and efficiently manages an airline’s critical slot portfolio with improved asset utilization. It stands out as the industry’s most comprehensive slot management solution used by airlines operating with the most complex slot portfolios at some of the most severely capacity constrained airports worldwide.ADVERTISEMENTAdditionally, Sabre Profit Manager, a key offering, accurately forecasts demand and profitability with an average increase of up to 2% in revenues. This empowers Riyadh Air to design profitable Network Plans and create an optimal hub structure. Profit Manager incorporates the industry’s most robust partnership and alliance modeling to pinpoint new revenue opportunities.
Sabre Market Intelligence – GDD connects Riyadh Air to robust market data and provides advanced data analysis capabilities across multiple areas, including Network Planning and Optimization. It improves data efficiency, enabling Riyadh Air to identify new revenue opportunities and increases competitive advantage with robust booking, shopping and market data analysis for commercial planning teams.
This strategic alliance between Riyadh Air and Sabre signifies a commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology for sustainable growth, improved efficiency, and enhanced profitability.
“Sabre has a strong reputation for driving results through our innovative solutions that enable airlines to respond swiftly to competitor changes, identify new market opportunities, and optimize flight times for incremental revenue gains,” said Garry Wiseman, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Our end-to-end Network Planning and Optimization suite has been a cornerstone of commercial planning for over two decades, supporting brand differentiation and operational excellence.”
Sabre’s Network Planning and Optimization solutions have a proven track record of innovating and transforming commercial planning, with more than 90 global customers, including prominent airlines around the world. The suite addresses the end-to-end planning and scheduling lifecycle, supporting airlines of all types and sizes.
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United have announced that Aircastle (a Marubeni & Mizuho Leasing Company), Air New Zealand, Embraer, Google, HIS, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, Safran Corporate Ventures, and Technip Energies are now among the 22 corporate partners that make up the airline’s The United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight FundSM, a first-of-its kind effort to reduce emissions and drive production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through investments in startups.
These corporate partners make up all parts of the aviation supply chain – airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel producers, engineering and technology experts, financiers, travel management and more – and have now committed more than $200 million while collaborating to provide strategic expertise to help the Fund’s portfolio companies reach commercialization.
Since its inception in February 2023, the Fund remains aviation’s first and only venture fund backed by a broad limited partner base and created to identify and support startups advancing feedstock and technology development focused on increasing the supply of SAF.
The airline has included a way for everyday consumers to participate as well. Anyone using United.com or the United app has an option to contribute to supplement United’s investment in the UAV Sustainable Flight FundSM before check-out. Users have the choice to contribute $1, $3.50 or $7.00.1 Continuing in the effort toward climate transparency for our customers, United also now shows an estimated carbon emissions for flights booked through United.com or the United app. In less than 12 months, more than 115,000 people have contributed nearly $500,000 since February 2023.
SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel that, on a lifecycle basis, reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with air travel compared to conventional jet fuel alone. To date, United has invested in the future production of over five billion gallons of SAF – the most of any airline in the world.2ADVERTISEMENT“SAF is the best tool we have to decarbonize airplanes, but we don’t have enough of it. To create the fuel supply we need for our fleet, United recognized that we would have to help build a brand-new industry from scratch – like wind and solar in previous decades,” said Andrew Chang, Managing Director of United Airlines Ventures. “As part of our effort to build a new sustainable aviation ecosystem, we recruited a group of partners with the industry expertise to support our startups with both financial and strategic capital, to help them navigate the entire process from conception to commercialization.”
Sustainable Flight Fund Milestones
Added 22 corporate partnersRaised more than $200 million in committed capitalPortfolio company milestones:Cemvita opens pilot plant in HoustonOXCCU to start construction on pilot plant in UKSvante and Dimensional Energy begin utilization of CO2 captured at Lafarge Canada Cement PlantEH2 opens first manufacturing plantUAV Sustainable Flight Fund
The UAV Sustainable Flight FundSM is a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle designed to leverage support from cross-industry businesses in order to support start-ups focused on decarbonizing air travel through SAF research, technology and production. The fund is comprised of more than $200 million in investment commitments from United and corporate partners including: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Aircastle (a Marubeni & Mizuho Leasing Company), American Express Global Business Travel, Aviation Capital Group, Boeing, Boston Consulting Group, Embraer, GE Aerospace, Google, Groupe ADP, Hawaiian Airlines, HIS, Honeywell, JetBlue Ventures, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, Safran Corporate Ventures, and Technip Energies, among others. For more information about the fund, please visit the United Airlines Ventures website.
Consumer Awareness and Call to Action
The default option for customer contributions is set at $3.50 to illustrate the potential impact of customer action at scale: if the 152 million people who flew on United in 2022 each contributed just $3.50 to the UAV Sustainable Flight Fund, that would be enough to design and build a SAF refinery capable of producing as much as 40 million gallons of alternative fuel annually.3
United’s Commitment to Net Zero Emissions by 2050
United aims to be net zero by reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2050, without relying on traditional carbon offsets. In addition to the UAV Sustainable Flight FundSM, United has launched a SAF purchasing program called the Eco-Skies Alliance and established a venture fund – United Airlines Ventures – to identify and invest in companies and technologies that can help decarbonize air travel. These strategic investments include carbon capture, hydrogen-electric engines, electric regional aircraft and air taxis. In May 2023, United received validation of our 2035 near-term emissions reduction target from the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to reduce our carbon intensity 50% from a 2019 base year. In 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to show customers an estimate of each flight’s carbon footprint in their search. This year, United was the only domestic airline to receive an ‘A-” leadership band score for Climate Change 2023 from CDP, formerly Carbon Disclosure Project.
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