2025 Winner: Best Cross-Industry Collaboration
Under the SESAR program, Virgin Atlantic successfully conducted flight trials marking the beginning of operations, enabling progression towards future Wake Energy Retrieval (WER) capability — a concept in which one aircraft can safely fly within the aerodynamic wake of another to reduce fuel burn and emissions. While previously studied in simulations, this trial marked a critical shift from theory to real-world application.
The ambition was both simple and complex: to synchronize two commercial aircraft, operated by different airlines and departing from different airports, to meet at the same waypoint over the Atlantic at the same time. Achieving this required precise coordination across flight planning, air traffic control, and airline operations — all within existing regulatory and safety frameworks.
Between September and October 2025, 14 flights were planned, with six successfully completed. Virgin Atlantic operated four of these successful trials, with aircraft departing from London Heathrow and synchronizing in real time with partner flights from Paris and Amsterdam. These flights demonstratedthat formation-based operations could be executed safely and effectively within today’s aviation systems.
Implementation Process
The collaboration brought together airlines, manufacturers, and air navigation service providers to test how formation-based flight operations could be implemented in real-world conditions.
Cross-Industry Coordination and Operational Execution
A significant amount of manual coordination was required during the flight trials, with all stakeholders working closely together to determine the requirements for future implementation.
- Airbus (consortium lead) developed the digital synchronization and situational awareness tools that enabled shared decision-making across airlines and air traffic systems.
- ANSPs (Air navigation service providers) in the UK, Ireland, and France authorized and monitoredflight plan adaptations to ensure all operations remained within existing safety standards.
- NATS (National Air Traffic Services) at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) were instrumental in enabling take-off within a tight departure window.
- ANSPs in collaboration with the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) conducted a dedicated risk assessment to confirm that all operations comply with existing regulatory requirements.
- Network Managers and airports at London LHR and Paris CDG supported the timing and sequencing needed to achieve simultaneous departure and waypoint arrival pivotally,
- Flight dispatchers and crews from participating airlines (Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Air France, and French Bee) coordinated departure timings and accepted dynamic flight plan adjustments to achieve precise in-air rendezvous of 2 aircrafts from different airlines over the Atlantic.
Replication and Scalability Consideration
Although the trials were conducted over the North Atlantic, the implementation was designed withglobal replication in mind. The procedures, communication protocols, and decision-support tools validated with Virgin Atlantic and its partners provide a structural approach that can be adaptable across different regions and traffic environments.
A key enabler of this scalability is the digital synchronization tool developed by Airbus and Eurocontrol to support collaboration between all partners. Integrated within Europe’s Network Manager platform, the tool provides a foundation that can be transferred to other regional air traffic management systemswithout major infrastructural change, offering a pathway toward harmonized international deployment.
By combining standardized operational procedures with shared digital tools, this approach demonstrates how formation-based flight operations can be implemented across regions, fleets, and air navigation service providers using a common coordination framework.
Measuring Impact
The trial demonstrated that complex multi-party communication and flight synchronization can be achieved safely and effectively in real-time within existing operational and regulatory frameworks.
The environmental potential is significant. Drawing on prior research, Wake Energy Retrieval could deliver up to 5% reductions in fuel burn and CO₂ emissions per flight, alongside additional benefits such as reduced contrail formation and improved aerodynamic efficiency.
Beyond emissions, the initiative also delivered meaningful operational impact. It strengthened trust and understanding across industry stakeholders, providing new insight into how airlines, manufacturers, and air navigation providers can work together more effectively. These learnings are now informing future programs, including SESAR’s GEESE project, and contributing to the development of global standards for formation-based flight.
Ultimately, this work reframes how progress can be achieved. It shows that while new technologiesremain essential, there is also immediate opportunity in how the industry operates today. By aligning systems, sharing data, and coordinating more intelligently, aviation can unlock measurable emissions reductions now.