Global Scans · Aviation · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: More than half of the expected new passengers over the next two decades will originate from China, which will displace the US as the world's largest aviation market by around 2029. More than half of the expected new passengers over the next two decades will originate from China, which will displace the US as the world's largest aviation market by around 2029. Sales of consumer and prosumer drones are soaring and the Federal Aviation Authority forecasts there will be more than 1.3 million licensed drone pilots by 2020 in the U.S. alone.

• [New] OpenAI's ad pilot earned $100 million annual recurring revenue in under two months, with strong growth projected, and it told investors that it anticipates its 2026 ad revenue of $2.5 billion to rise to $11 billion in 2027, $25 billion in 2028, and $53 billion by 2029. Benzinga
• [New] The global aviation industry will require nearly 2.4 million new professionals through 2044, including 660,000 pilots, 710,000 maintenance technicians, and 1 million cabin crew members. Amtec
• [New] Looking ahead to 2036, Level 4 autonomous trucking will transition from pilot deployments to large-scale commercial operations, fundamentally reshaping global logistics networks. Morningstar, Inc.
• [New] New York-based aviation cybersecurity company CYVIATION has uncovered a critical vulnerability within the PX4 drone operating system, a widely adopted platform powering numerous consumer and commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). eplaneai
• [New] By 2026, organizations will move from pilot projects to scaled deployments of Agentic AI. QuickBase
• [New] Pilots of eVTOLs will be required to be rated to operate powered-lift vehicles, the FAA says, as many of the vehicle designs involve taking off vertically and transitioning to forward flight. FlightGlobal
• [New] The Air Force is asking for $1 billion in fiscal 2027 to initiate procurement of the first Collaborative Combat Aircraft drones. DefenseScoop
• [New] While generative models of the past could draft a quiz or summarize a document, AI agents in 2026 function as autonomous career co-pilots capable of executing complex, multi-step learning workflows without constant human oversight. TechClass
• [New] Under new mandatory national standards, civil drones in China will have to be registered using the real identity of their owners, and unmanned aircraft systems will be required to transmit identification and operational data continuously. Defence Matters - European Defence News
• [New] In the UK, hundreds of teenagers will trial social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps under a government pilot, alongside a consultation on whether under-16s should be barred from accessing social media. The Guardian
• [New] If NASA's acoustic measurements demonstrate that the X-59's sonic thump falls within community-acceptable noise thresholds, the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization could revise standards that have been frozen since the Concorde era. / USA TheDefenseWatch.com
• [New] The United States recently reversed its 50-year-old ban on supersonic aircraft flying over land - a development that creates the regulatory framework into which X-59 data will feed. TheDefenseWatch.com
• [New] By 2026, agentic AI is expected to move from pilot deployments to scaled operations across decision-making, procurement, logistics planning, predictive maintenance, and administrative functions within major defence organizations. RNG Strategy Consulting
• [New] Airline commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 are fueling the demand for sustainable aviation fuel. Polaris
• [New] The global aviation sector's commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as formalized by ICAO's Long-Term Aspirational Goal during the 41st Assembly, is propelling massive investments across the SAF value chain. Persistence Market Research
• [New] In the United States, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge aims to produce at least 3 billion gallons by 2030 and 35 billion gallons by 2050, supported by federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act providing up to US$1.75 per gallon for qualifying SAF. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The ReFuelEU Aviation regulation mandates progressive SAF blending requirements starting at 2% in 2025, rising to 6% by 2030, 20% by 2035, and ultimately reaching 70% by 2050, with a specific sub-mandate for synthetic aviation fuels comprising 1.2% by 2030. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The ReFuelEU Aviation regulation in the European Union, requiring a minimum 2% SAF blend starting in 2025 and escalating to 6% by 2030, alongside aggressive targets in the United Kingdom mandating 9.5% SAF by 2030, are creating unprecedented demand for sustainable aviation fuels. Persistence Market Research
• [New] NASA plans to conduct community overflight studies to measure how people perceive the reduced noise signature of the X-59, with dozens of test flights scheduled through 2026 to determine if low-boom supersonic flight can be safely integrated into commercial aviation. Yahoo News
• [New] NASA's X-59 aircraft completed its second test flight, aiming to reshape high-speed travel by flying faster than the speed of sound with a soft sonic thump instead of a disruptive boom. Yahoo News
• [New] The US aviation industry is urging the Federal Aviation Administration to push to mid-2032 a deadline for updating thousands of radio altimeters to withstand interference from 5G cellular signals. FlightGlobal

Last updated: 12 April 2026