Reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions and community noise are the focus as Boeing (NYSE: BA) and American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) announced that the airline will be the launch customer for the evolutionary ecoDemonstrator Program. A Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft will be used to flight test and accelerate the market readiness of emerging technologies.

“We are proud to have American Airlines as our launch partner for this new generation of technology that can bolster aviation’s role as the most efficient means of global transportation,” said Boeing Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy Billy Glover. “There’s no better way to prepare advanced technologies for market entry than flying them and no better choice than the best selling single-aisle airplane of all time — the Boeing Next-Generation 737.”

“American Airlines recognizes our responsibility to minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible, and we look for every opportunity to do so,” said Captain John Hale, American’s vice president – Flight. “Our partnership with Boeing allows us to make significant strides in putting more fuel-efficient planes in the air, which is the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. We remain committed to identifying and implementing new technologies and programs that further our environmental performance.”

The American Airlines 737-800, and a twin-aisle airplane that will be announced at a later date, are serving as the flight test component for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Continuous Lower Energy Emissions Noise (CLEEN) program – along with other technologies developed by Boeing and other industry partners. Together with the American Airlines engineering team, Boeing is finalizing plans for installing the initial technology applications aboard the first airplane. Specific technologies that will be flown in 2012 include:

• Adaptable trailing edge technology – a technology being developed under the FAA CLEEN Program, it reduces noise and emissions during all phases of flight including take-off, cruise and landing.
• Variable area fan nozzle – reduces community noise and enables advanced engine efficiency technologies.
• Flight trajectory optimization for in-flight planning – enables airlines to determine and fly more fuel-efficient routes and provides flight crews the ability to reroute for weather and other constraints.
• Regenerative fuel cells for onboard power – efficiently stores and generates power, and adapts to aircraft electrical systems demand, potentially reducing weight, fuel burn and CO2 emissions. 

“Our ecoDemonstrator flight test program allows us to accelerate promising technologies and move them onto airplane models and into new aircraft design considerations across the industry,” said Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program Manager David Akiyama. “It also allows us to verify airplane applicability and identify and eliminate potential integration challenges.”

Boeing press release