Air Canada has ordered 36 GE Aerospace GEnx-1B engines plus four spares to power its forthcoming fleet of Boeing 787-10 aircraft. The order includes options for additional 24 GEnx-1B engines, the US engine maker says. The flag carrier operates eight 787-8 aircraft and 30 787-9s, fleets data shows, all powered by GEnx engines. Air Canada in September announced a firm order for 18 787-10s, along with options for an additional 12 aircraft. The Star Alliance member says deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and would run through the first quarter of 2027.

Boeing is collaborating with NASA and United Airlines to evaluate the impact of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on contrails and non-carbon emissions during flight tests. The US airframer says its second ecoDemonstrator Explorer, a Boeing 737-10 destined for United, will fly with 100% SAF and conventional jet fuel in separate tanks and alternate fuels during the trials. It adds that NASA's DC-8 airborne science lab will fly behind the 737 and measure emissions produced by each type of fuel and contrail ice particles, while NASA satellites will capture images of contrail formation. World Energy will supply SAF for the tests from its facility in Paramount, California, with support from the US Federal Aviation Administration, GE Aerospace and the German aerospace research centre DLR. DLR previously completed similar flight trials with Airbus, to measure emissions at altitude. The objective of the US effort is to understand how advanced fuels, engine combustor designs and other technologies may reduce atmospheric warming. The project is part of a multi-year partnership between Boeing and NASA to analyse SAF benefits. "We've solved hard problems before, and if we continue to take meaningful actions, I'm confident we'll achieve a more sustainable aerospace future together," states Boeing chief sustainability officer Chris Raymond. His counterpart at United, Lauren Riley, says: "This collaboration between Boeing, NASA and United has the potential to not only help us better understand contrails but to provide the full scope of what our transition to SAF can provide beyond greenhouse-gas reductions." Boeing and NASA conducted SAF emissions ground testing on an Alaska Airlines 737-9 in 2021, and ecoDemonstrator 777-200ER and 787-10 flight-test jets in 2022. The airframer has a target of delivering aircraft compatible with 100% SAF by 2030.

Chicago-headquartered AAR has elected Billy Nolen to its board of directors, effectively immediately. Nolen, 66, brings more than 30 years of aviation experience across safety, operations, and regulatory affairs, the company says. He recently served as acting FAA Administrator and is currently the chief safety officer at Archer Aviation, an air mobility company known for developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. While at the FAA, Nolen revamped certification requirements and airport-focused safety management systems and earlier served as its associate administrator for aviation safety. "Mr. Nolen brings a unique combination of commercial, government, and military expertise in aviation and a vison for the future of the industry," states John Holmes, AAR's chairman, president and chief executive. "He will add to the breadth of experience we have on our board and help guide the continued execution of our strategy."