Boeing is expanding its ecoDemonstrator test flight programme, a move it said would "further accelerate innovation for sustainability and safety".
The airplane producer said it aims to assess 19 technologies on the Boeing 777 ecoDemonstrator and adding "Explorer" aircraft for tests focused on "specific technologies".
The first test flight will be June and will run from Boeing's headquarter-city of Seattle to Tokyo, Singapore and Bangkok.
The aim will be "to demonstrate how coordinating navigation across global airspace jurisdictions can improve operational efficiency, which can reduce an airplane's fuel use and emissions by up to 10%".
Boeing and air navigation service providers in the US, Japan, Singapore and Thailand are to "collectively sequence the airplane's routes to achieve the optimal flight path across multiple regions", with the aircraft to run "on the highest available blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at each location".
"To support our industry's goal for net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Boeing is expanding our ecoDemonstrator program with Explorer airplanes to test even more sustainability-focused technologies," said Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "
In 2023, Boeing also will use the flagship ecoDemonstrator airplane, a 777-200 extended-range aircraft, to test 19 technologies, including sustainable wall panels in the cargo hold that are made of 40% recycled carbon fibre and 60% resin made from a bio-based feedstock, and a fibre-optic fuel quantity sensor compatible with 100% SAF.