Delta Air Lines has announced a new partnership with aerospace giant Airbus as part of its 100th-anniversary celebrations marking 100 years since it was incorporated. At the CES 2025 technology conference being held in Las Vegas between January 7 and 10, 2025, the airline stated its newly launched ‘UpNext’ program will see the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer and its largest Airbus operator collaborate to develop the next generation of advanced aviation technologies to revolutionize the future of flying.

According to the publication Inflight, the UpNext program will involve three key areas of innovation. These will include developing a network of innovation labs that will see Delta and Airbus collaborate on early-stage, fast-track technology solutions to “advance the future of aviation through Delta’s Sustainable Skies Lab,” and also several new Airbus-run innovation labs worldwide, including a dedicated Airbus UpNext facility. Additionally, the two companies will explore wing performance, fuel efficiency, superconductivity, advanced aircraft assistance, and other technologies that may be needed for future aircraft.

“It’s estimated that 80 percent or more of the world’s population has never experienced air travel,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines in his keynote address at CES 2025. “That’s why, as we continue to expand as an international airline, increasing the world’s access to travel isn’t just an opportunity – it’s our responsibility. We live in a divided world, which is why what we do at Delta is so important. Our job isn’t to transport people. It’s to bring them together.”

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