“Fuel Efficiency Strategies and Technological Advancements in the Aviation Industry” Presentation by Our PhD Candidate Umaal Ahmed Khan

On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, our PhD candidate in Management, Umaal Ahmed Khan, gave a presentation titled “Fuel Efficiency Strategies and Technological Advancements in the Aviation Industry”.

The presentation outlines a systematic review of fuel efficiency challenges and technological solutions in the commercial aviation sector. The speaker highlighted that aviation currently accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions and argued that fuel representing 20–30% of airline operating costs makes the need for innovation both urgent and economically critical. Umaal discussed five interconnected challenge areas — technical, infrastructure, environmental, economic, and regulatory — and examined advancements across six domains including next-generation aircraft design, fleet modifications, weight reduction, operational strategies, air traffic management, and alternative fuel adoption such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and hydrogen. The session concluded with a discussion of policy frameworks such as CORSIA and ReFuelEU, and the speaker argued that achieving net-zero aviation will require coordinated action across industry, government, and research institutions.