Here are the top sustainability and innovation insights from the Paris Air Show 2025

The Paris Air Show is the world’s largest aerospace event, bringing together industry leaders, innovators and policy-makers. The 2025 edition, held in June, was marked by a strong focus on sustainability, with new technologies, major commercial orders and cross-sector partnerships all aimed at reducing aviation’s environmental impact.

Aviation is under increasing scrutiny to address its carbon footprint. The industry faces the dual challenge of meeting growing demand for air travel while achieving ambitious net-zero targets.

This year’s airshow reflected a clear shift: sustainability is now central to business strategy, investment and innovation.

Key trends included the rapid adoption of the lower-carbon alternative, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF); advances in hydrogen and electric propulsion – increasing the decarbonization potential of the sector; and a renewed focus on regional and short-haul efficiency to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Improving aircraft efficiency and reducing fuel consumption is an essential component of airlines’ journey to net zero and air shows typically see many new orders being announced.

Airbus secured nearly $21 billion in new deals, including a landmark agreement with VietJet for 100 A321neo aircraft – jets that are popular for their range, capacity and improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions compared to previous models.

Riyadh Air’s order for 25 Airbus A350-1000s, paired with 50 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, further underscored the industry’s shift toward cleaner, more efficient fleets.

Even in the training sector, sustainability is taking centre stage: ENAC’s 30-plane order from Elixir Aircraft, France’s national civil aviation school, will see new training aircraft use advanced carbon composites and consume up to 70% less fuel than traditional models.

It wasn’t just about buying new planes, but what powers them and how they’re built. Airbus drew attention with its world-record 1.2 megawatt (MW) aviation fuel cell system, a major step toward hydrogen-powered flight.

The company also unveiled aerodynamic innovations such as the eXtra Performance Wing, which could cut fuel consumption by up to 10%. Meanwhile, MagniX’s new high-energy-density battery (400 watts per kilogram) is bringing electric and hybrid-electric regional flights closer to reality.

Rotorcraft weren’t left out: the Airbus Racer helicopter demonstrator, developed under the Clean Sky 2 European initiative, achieved 20–30% lower fuel consumption than conventional helicopters. These advances show how new materials, smarter design and alternative propulsion are converging to make aviation cleaner and more efficient.

SAF was a recurring theme, with the industry recognizing it as the most immediate lever for reducing emissions. TotalEnergies’ 15-year agreement with Quatra to secure 60,000 tonnes of used cooking oil annually for SAF production is a sign of how supply chains are scaling up.

ATR’s partnership with ATOBA Energy aims to make 100% SAF capability a reality for regional aircraft, showing that collaboration between manufacturers and energy providers is key to accelerating adoption.

Hydrogen-powered aviation also made tangible progress, with several companies moving from research to real-world demonstration. ZeroAvia announced it had secured new UK government funding for its Liquid Hydrogen System Integration & Flight Test (LH-SIFT) project, which will see the world’s first liquid hydrogen-powered commercial airframe testbed.

The company also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Loganair, aiming to bring zero-emission, hydrogen-electric engines to regional routes in the UK and is establishing a hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing centre near Glasgow Airport to support future deployment.

HyFlux also gained momentum by winning a UK government grant to advance its hydrogen-electric propulsion technology, which uses superconducting motors and cryogenic cooling. These achievements will support the acceleration of zero-emission transport innovation, further strengthening the sector’s hydrogen ecosystem.

None of these advances happen in isolation. The airshow highlighted the power of multistakeholder collaboration, with public and private sectors, manufacturers, airlines, energy companies and research institutes all working together.

The launch of the ARIS (Aviation Research and Innovation Strategy for Sustainability) programme marked a fitting finale: this Europe-wide initiative brings together research institutes, manufacturers, air traffic management providers and policymakers to focus on zero-emission aircraft, digital air traffic management and workforce upskilling.

It’s a clear signal that the industry recognizes the magnitude of the challenge and the necessity of collaboration to address it.

Driven by the current geopolitical landscape, many exhibitors and industry leaders showcased advanced defence technologies and defence systems and dual-use innovations.

The growing emphasis on security reflects the sector’s need to balance decarbonization goals with the realities of a rapidly changing global context.

However, the air show demonstrated that sustainability is now at the heart of aviation’s business strategy. The industry is transitioning from pilot projects to large-scale orders, long-term supply agreements and coordinated research, signalling real momentum toward net zero.

While challenges remain, such as scaling SAF production, certifying new propulsion systems and modernizing infrastructure, the collaborative efforts seen at Le Bourget show that progress is accelerating.

Major orders for fuel-efficient aircraft advances in hydrogen and electric propulsion and new SAF partnerships all point to a sector in transformation.

Continued collaboration among manufacturers, airlines, energy providers and policymakers will be essential to deliver on the promise of net-zero flights and keep the industry aligned with global climate goals.

Surging collective momentum on innovation, sustainability and collaboration will underpin the upcoming Dubai Air Show this fall, where the World Economic Forum’s Airports of Tomorrow Initiative is convening a dedicated two-day Future of Aviation Day on 18 and 19 November 2025.

The programme will feature high-level panels, expert roundtables and curated site visits.

It is designed to provide in-depth perspectives on the strategies, innovations and cross-sector collaborations required to advance sustainable aviation.

These initiatives will range from net-zero airport operations and the scale-up of SAF to the integration of hydrogen and low-carbon fuels, the implementation of book and claim systems, and the development of resilient, green airport infrastructure.

The Paris Air Show 2025 demonstrated that the era of ambition is giving way to one of implementation. From cutting-edge propulsion systems to scaled-up SAF commitments and cross-sector partnerships, the industry is looking to now engineer the change it promised.

Giorgio Parolini, Aviation Decarbonization Lead, World Economic Forum, also contributed to this article.