Airbus and French automobile manufacturer Renault have signed a research and development agreement to accelerate their respective electrification roadmaps and help mature technologies associated with future hybrid-electric aircraft. The two companies' engineering teams will join forces to mature technologies related to energy storage, which remains one of the main roadblocks for the development of long-range electric vehicles, says the airframer. The co-operation agreement covers technology bricks related to energy management optimisation and battery-weight improvement, and targets identification of the best pathways to move from current cell chemistries to all solid-state designs that could double the energy density of batteries in the 2030 timeframe. Airbus adds that the joint work will also span studying the full lifecycle of future batteries, from production to recyclability, in order to prepare the industrialisation of these future battery designs while assessing their carbon footprint across their entire lifecycle. "Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a unique challenge that requires co-operation across sectors, starting today," states Airbus chief technical officer Sabine Klauke. "Bringing together Renault Group's experience in electric vehicles with our own track record in electric-flight demonstrators will allow us to accelerate the development of the disruptive technologies required for future hybrid aircraft architectures in the 2030s and beyond."

Air Corsica has become the first operator to receive an ATR turboprop with Pratt & Whitney Canada's latest PW127XT generation. The ATR 72-600 is the first of five of the type ordered by Air Corsica at the Dubai air show in November 2021, ATR notes. In October 2022, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency certificated ATR 42/72 turboprops to be powered by PW127XT-M engines. ATR and Pratt & Whitney Canada have promised the PW127XT-M will deliver 40% longer on-wing-time, 20% lower maintenance cost and a 3% reduction in fuel consumption versus previous-generation aircraft. The PW127XT-M will become a new production standard and retrofit option for ATR 500/600-series turboprops. Data shows that Air Corsica has five ATR 72-500s, one ATR 42-500, four Airbus A320ceos and two A320neos. The airline has signed a 12-year maintenance agreement for line-replaceable units including propellers, landing gear and leading edges. The hour-based deal spans equipment repairs and pooling, and includes a price agreement for more than 2,000 spare parts, ATR says. Air Corsica supervisory board president Marie-Helene Casanova-Servas describes the scheme as "the best maintenance programme" available for the aircraft. ATR notes the aircraft delivered to Air Corsica is the airframer's first to feature passenger USB ports to charge digital devices in flight.

Korean Air has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo and will begin operating it from December. The airline says the 182-seat narrowbody features eight seats in prestige class and 174 seats in economy class, and will mostly operate on short-haul routes to Southeast Asia, China and Japan. The Pratt & Whitney PW1130G-JM-equipped A321neo has 180-degree flat-bed seats in business class and also features Airbus' Airspace cabin. The airline says it is slated to receive a total of 30 A321neos by 2027. Airbus chief commercial officer and head of Airbus International Christian Scherer states: "With the A321neo's per-seat fuel improvements of at least 25% compared with Korean Air's previous generation same-sized fleet, the airline will reduce its operating costs significantly, as well as emissions at the same time."