Aviation X Lab, an aviation-specific incubator that brings together Airbus, Collins Aerospace, Emirates, GE Aviation and Thales under one roof, was recently unveiled at Area 2071 and established a long-term partnership among the five industry giants. It invites startups, innovators, academics, NGOs, activists and companies worldwide to participate in problem solving.
Together with the Dubai Future Foundation, Aviation X Lab aims to herald and shape a new era in aviation with innovations. The common vision is to positively influence the lives of one billion people. Dubai wants to meet the challenges in aviation and focuses on the development of technologies and innovations that have a positive impact on the industry, the community, future generations and our planet. The company wants to look far beyond aviation as it exists today and identify, support and make innovations accessible worldwide with Aviation X Lab, says Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, CEO of Emirates Airline Group.
Minimizing food not consumed on board
During the Aviation X Lab launch event, Emirates presented a product that makes use of artificial intelligence and supports one of the airline’s sustainability goals: the reduction of food waste. The technology provides real-time predictions and recommendations to ensure passengers get their first choice on board while minimizing the amount of food they don’t eat.
The Aviation X Lab presented its first problems during the presentation – the deadline for submissions is early 2020:
Problem 1: CO2 emissions of the aviation industry
Although aviation is responsible for only two percent of global CO2 emissions, the challenge is based on the assumption that airlines produce 115g of CO2 per passenger kilometre, equivalent to 859 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The challenge is to reduce them by 100g or 87 percent to 15g CO2 per passenger kilometre by 2030.
Problem 2: From the airport to the “airport valley
Although the volume of the travel industry is expected to double in the next 15 years and attract 3.4 billion new travellers, the current model of airports is an obstacle to passenger growth. The challenge is to rethink the airport model to reach measurements of 10 passengers per square meter of airport infrastructure with a maximum transition time of 10 minutes between land and airside areas.
The Aviation X Lab addresses the problems of startups, innovators, academics, NGOs, activists and companies worldwide and invites them to participate in solving them. Aviation X Lab will select teams and invite them to Dubai to develop and test their prototypes in Area 2071. In the following phase, up to four teams will be selected to present their idea to investors for additional financial support.