Nextair
The NEXTAIR project started in September 2022 bringing together 16 partners from 6 European countries, including 4 leading aeronautical industries, 2 innovative SMEs and 9 renowned research organisations, to contribute to tackle the challenge of a more sustainable aviation, towards climate neutrality. NEXTAIR aims at developing innovative multi-disciplinary design methodologies, data-fusion techniques, and smart health-assessment tools to enable the digital transformation in aircraft design, manufacturing and maintenance required by the next generation of frugal aircraft and engines. In this framework NEXTAIR will create methods and tools to: 1) improve and advance high-fidelity and multi-disciplinary modelling in design and optimisation processes, both using adjoints and gradient-free approaches; 2) account for all relevant sources of uncertainty by increasing the efficiency of uncertainty quantification and robust optimisation techniques; 3) extend the usability of machine learning methods for smart health-assessment and digital twinning. These capabilities will be demonstrated on 4 technological streams based on today’s most promising technologies for future aircraft: 1) high
The path to green aviation
The civil aviation sector has reached a historical turning point. Nowadays, the sector is facing two unavoidable challenges:
- Air traffic continues to grow at a staggering rate. It was doubling every 15 years before the advent of Covid-19. However, it is expected to quickly return to the same trend in the next few years.
- Aviation is also confronted with environmental sustainability: the aviation sector accounts for ~3% of global emissions, with three main contributors to climate change: CO2 emissions, NOX emissions and aviation-induced cloudiness, such as contrails.
By 2050, an estimated 10 billion passengers will travel 20 trillion revenue passenger kilometers each year. With the current fleet and operational efficiency, this activity would require more than 570 megatons (Mt) of fuel and generate some 1 800 Mt of CO2. Faced with future energy and climate costs, aviation needs to evolve and adapt. Accommodating the same number of passengers while reducing CO2 emissions by 82% to 325 Mt or less by 2050 and potentially zero by 2060 is one of the aviation sector's biggest challenges.
Hence, radical changes in aircraft configurations, propulsion an
Objectives
NEXTAIR brings together 16 partners from 6 countries, including 4 leading aeronautical industries, 3 innovative SMEs and 9 renowned research organisations. Together, they will develop and demonstrate innovative multi-disciplinary design methodologies, data-fusion techniques, and smart health-assessment tools enabling the digital transformation in aircraft design, manufacturing, and maintenance towards the next climate-neutral aircraft configurations. More specifically, NEXTAIR will develop Digital Enablers covering the whole aircraft life cycle (from the first design phases, including manufacturing aspects, up to operability) devoted to ease:
- breakthrough technology maturation by improving and advancing digital design models;
- flawless entry-into-service by efficiently accounting for all relevant sources of uncertainty;
- smart health-assessment by developing dedicated digital twinning methodologies.
Activities
The project activities are implemented through 8 Work Packages (WP) with specific objectives:
WP 1 - Digital Enablers for Efficient Aircraft Ecosystem Design
- Deliver new digital models, as part of DENs, or model-based v
Digital transformation of aviation: discover NEXTAIR in video
What is it about ?
The video presents, among other things, the challenges that the aeronautical industry must face:
- Reduce environmental impact
- Support air traffic growth
In such sensitive conditions, disruptive aircraft configurations and propulsion systems are necessary to improve aircraft performance and reduce their emissions. NEXTAIR’s purpose is to develop digital methods combining advanced simulation capabilities with machine learning to enable the design of the next generation of economical aircraft and engines.
ERDYN invites you to follow the project and its innovations on social media:
LinkedIn
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What is ERDYN’s role?
Throughout the NEXTAIR project, as Labor Package leader, ERDYN is responsible for establishing and implementing an effective dissemination, communication, and use strategy, in order to assure adoption of the project’s results.
ERDYN is also involved in undertaking management and supports the coordinator ONERA and the consortium in the implementation of the project.
For more information, please contact Simona Braileanu (simona.braileanu@erdyn.fr).
GROUND
HANDLING SERVICES AND EQUIPMENTS
We assist both ground handling companies and small airports to identify their operational weaknesses in all the relevant fields of ground handling operations. We help establish ground handling operations consistent with traffic flows and airlines’ needs, from aircraft handling to the processing of passengers and baggage. Nextair provides advice for the selection, procurement, installation and commissioning of ground-handling services equipment: stairs, pushback and towbarless tractors, beltloaders, GPU, ASU, ACU, loaders and transporters, buses. We also offer expert guidance on tendering, tender evaluation and placement of the orders, factory inspection, and inspections at the receiving end.