Airbus has tested a cryogenic, superconducting electric propulsion system to demonstrate that the technology can be built to aerospace specifications. The European airframer notes that superconductive systems could work at lower voltages than conventional electric propulsion systems – which require high voltage to limit power losses – and thereby reduce equipment size and weight. Cryogenic equipment for liquid hydrogen can meanwhile provide cooling. A power-on trial of the demonstrator was completed at Airbus's "E-Aircraft System" testing facility in Munich, Germany, in November, concluding a three-year project named "Advanced Superconducting and Cryogenic Experimental Powertrain Demonstrator" (ASCEND) led by the airframer's future-technology division UpNext, it says. Developed and built at Airbus's Toulouse headquarters in France, the demonstrator comprises a liquid nitrogen-based cooling system, direct-current wiring into a control unit, and alternating-current wiring into a 500kW Airbus-made superconductive motor. The airframer says the system was built using superconductive tape that is 100 times denser than the equivalent copper. Cooled to below -170°C – liquid nitrogen is at -200°C – the electrical components have "practically no resistance", says Airbus. Part of the project's remit is to assess the electrical performance of the equipment amid extreme cooling cycles. "The technology we need already exists," states ASCEND project head Ludovic Ybanez. "Our goal wasn't to reinvent the wheel. It was to identify the best companies and research institutes and adapt their technology for application on board aircraft. We've worked closely with a network of over 20 partners to design a cryogenic powertrain that improves the efficiency of the electrical system by at least 4-5%." Airbus suggests that a combination of hydrogen fuel-cells and cryogenic superconductivity "could be a game changer". The airframer says ASCEND has shown that that superconducting technology could "create a major power shift in electric propulsion, from several hundred kilowatts to multi-megawatts" A electric regional turboprop would require 8MW, the manufacturer notes.

The US Federal Aviation Administration is proposing three airworthiness directives (ADs) to strengthen the structure that houses the engines on six variants of the Boeing 737NG. The move comes after the regulator received two reports of fan blade failures that caused "severe damage" to the engine housing, including one that resulted in a passenger fatality in 2018, the FAA says in a statement shared. The proposed ADs would require operators to inspect and replace "certain components" on the engine cowling before 31 July 2028. After the parts are installed, the FAA says, operators would have to revise the existing maintenance programme to incorporate the modifications. The ADs apply to 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900 and -900ER aircraft, affecting 1,979 US-registered aircraft, and 6,666 aircraft worldwide, it adds.

Philippine Airlines has signed a codeshare agreement with American Airlines covering routes between Asia and the USA. The carrier says it has placed its "PR" code on American's flights between Los Angeles and seven US cities: Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando and Washington DC. The deal allows American's customers to travel to Manila and Cebu via Tokyo. Additionally, customers will be able to fly to Manila from Honolulu and Guam. Philippine Airlines operates twice-daily nonstop flights to Los Angeles, daily flights to San Francisco and multiple weekly flights to New York, Honolulu and Guam.