France's plan to ban domestic flights on routes where an alternative rail journey of less than two-and-a-half hours exists has been deemed lawful by the European Commission. Plans to introduce the ban were initially announced by the French government early in the Covid-19 pandemic as a condition of its state support package for Air France-KLM. France said it wanted to limit domestic flights as a way of reducing the country's greenhouse-gas emissions. In a 1 December ruling on the proposed ban, the Commission concluded that the measure "complies with the conditions laid down" in Article 20(1) of Regulation No 1008/2008. The Commission says in the ruling that it had received two complaints – one from an airline and one from an airport – alleging that the proposed measure was incompatible with EU law. In its ruling, the Commission says that a review of the ban should be carried out in three years. It also notes that France has committed to submit an assessment of the measure two years after it has entered into force. "This review will take particular account of the effects of the measure on the environment, including climate change, and on the internal market for air services," says the ruling. The French government has welcomed the Commission's ruling. In a 2 December statement, French transport minister Clement Beaune says: "I welcome the Commission's decision, which will allow for the launch of new steps in the effective banning of flights when there is an alternative of less than 2h30 by train. It's a major step forward and I'm proud that France is a pioneer in this area."

Airbus and European nuclear research organisation CERN will explore how superconductor technology can increase the efficiency of electrical systems on future aircraft. The partnership will build on a demonstrator project by the airframer’s UpNext innovation subsidiary examining the feasibility of superconductors for full- and hybrid-electric aircraft. The aim of that project, dubbed ASCEND – short for advanced superconducting and cryogenic experimental powertrain demonstrator – is to determine how cryogenic temperatures required for handling liquid hydrogen could support the deployment of superconductors. UpNext chief executive Sandra Bour-Schaeffer highlights during Airbus’s sustainability summit on 1 December that very low temperatures can improve the performance of electrical equipment. At -190°C, she says, superconductors lose all electrical resistance and become therefore able to carry higher loads. A cable with 4cm diameter could thus conduct power in the MW range, she adds. “This could be a breakthrough in our industry,” she notes, given the potential weight savings that superconductors could deliver versus conventional cabling. Manufacturing of the ASCEND demonstrator has begun, with a plan to start trials at Airbus’s "E-Aircraft System House" test facility in Munich in mid-2023. CERN will build a second demonstrator called SCALE – superconductor for aviation with low emissions – for tests at CERN's facility outside Geneva. The demonstrator will consist of a DC cable with two current leads and a cryostat using a helium-based cooling system. The effort will focus on potential superconductor application in power distribution systems. Airbus expects the first results from the joint project to emerge in late 2023 Bour-Schaeffer believes the technology can be matured in time for potential application in power distribution systems on Airbus’s planned zero-emission aircraft, which is scheduled to enter service around 2035. The airframer plans to decide on a launch for its development in 2027-28. Superconductor technology for use in electric motors will not become available in that timeframe, Bour Schaeffer says. “Partnering with a leading research institute such as CERN, which brought the world some of the most important findings in fundamental physics, will help push the boundaries of research in clean aerospace as we work to make sustainable aviation a reality,” she states. CERN director of finance and human resources Raphael Bello describes the demonstrator project as “only a first step in our journey” with Airbus.

Test flights of Boeing 777X aircraft will halt while GE Aerospace engineers inspect a technical issue with the GE9X turbofan engine powering the test aircraft. “We are closely coordinating with Boeing on our findings to support their return to flight testing,” GE says. GE says it will conduct engine tests at its facility in Peebles, Ohio, following a finding during a borescope inspection of GE9X engines from the test aircraft. An initial test indicated that the technical issue could be temperature related. The engine maker in early December aims to finish testing as part of its process to gain an extended twin-engine operations certificate for GE9X powerplants. Boeing aims to complete certification of 777X aircraft to begin deliveries by 2025. The airframer has not yet begun test flights of that aircraft with the US Federal Aviation Administration. Regarding certification goals for its 737 Max aircraft, Boeing advised: “We anticipate 737-7 certification will be completed in late 2022 or early 2023 and anticipate 737-10 certification will be completed by late 2023 or early 2024.”