Recommendations
Overview
The Covid-19 pandemic has completely disrupted the aviation industry, highlighting many existing flaws and also producing new challenges. The industry now looks towards recovery - but returning to 2019 operations is simply not viable considering the current emphasis on the negative passenger experience and the potential for future pandemics. We suggest that NASA not focus on mere restoration, but instead use Covid-19 as an opportunity to reinvent the entire aviation system. With this in mind, we encourage NASA to concentrate its efforts on rapidly accelerating the industry’s innovation through increased focus on passenger satisfaction, substantial action towards sustainability, and significant collaboration with a diverse range of industry partners.
Passenger Satisfaction
Covid-19 has created new passenger safety demands, as passengers are concerned with human contact, airflow, and other health risks. Similar to the security measures implemented after 9/11, the passenger experience is changing once again, and NASA must research technologies crucial in allowing the aviation industry to regain its credibility as a safe method of transportation, and better prepare the industry to survive future health crises.
To further improve the passenger experience and reinvent the current US air transportation system, NASA must work to produce technology for a fast and convenient aviation system. Significant technological innovations are anticipated in coming years, and NASA can expand on past projects that have improved routing and reduced delays to further improve passenger satisfaction. The agency must also ensure that air transportation is seamlessly connected to both traditional and emerging transportation systems (UAM, supersonic flight, automated vehicles, hyperloop, etc). Considerable effort is needed to safely integrate these systems and their transportation system, and NASA must develop advanced software that will aid in this large task.
Sustainability
Despite NASA’s progress in improving aviation’s massive environmental impact, significant research and development is needed in the next few years to ensure that sustainable aircraft are quickly developed as the global climate crisis approaches. The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on the incredibly detrimental effects of aviation on the globe as the threat of climate change becomes imminent. NASA must take large actions to develop technologies that will ensure the decarbonization of the aviation industry. The agency must research both evolutionary and revolutionary aircraft technologies, as evolutionary technologies (retrofits and improvements to current aircraft designs) will provide short term emissions improvements, while revolutionary technologies (completely new aircraft design) will allow for the long term electrification of aircraft. In addition, NASA must responsibly develop UAM, as the scope of future UAM operations will potentially increase overall aviation emissions by a significant factor. It is of the utmost importance that NASA develop electric UAM and consciously produce sustainable operations systems, while simultaneously progressing development of revolutionary jet aircraft.
Collaboration
The reinvention of aviation is a large and complex task. Massive innovation is needed in a short time, and to successfully innovate at that scope and speed, NASA must collaborate with other traditional and nontraditional aviation groups. As a national system, NASA must provide a platform for innovation, supporting a diverse range of groups in developing technology that will aid the overall reinvention of the industry. NASA must expand beyond collaborating with traditional industry leaders like Boeing and the FAA, who are notorious for their slow innovation cycles, but also support the growth of tech companies, academics, and startups, which are innovating quickly and disrupting traditional operations. Collaboration with other groups is essential in ensuring that NASA will be able to restructure the industry at the pace necessary and achieve the aforementioned goals in sustainability and passenger satisfaction.