The transition towards climate-neutral aviation requires more than the development of more energy-efficient aircraft. It also means understanding how new aircraft technologies and fuels will affect airport infrastructure, airspace management and flight operations. The SESAR JU ZENITIA project is addressing this challenge by developing modelling and simulation tools to assess how next-generation aircraft can be integrated into Europe's air transport system while maximising their environmental benefits.

Coordinated by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), ZENITIA brings together nine organisations from academia, industry and the air traffic management community. Over 30 months, the project will investigate how evolutionary and revolutionary aircraft designs, including zero-emission aircraft, can be integrated safely and efficiently into Europe's existing air transport system.

New aircraft designs may have different performance characteristics, including range, payload, climb and descent profiles, and wake behaviour. Their integration could also bring new requirements for airport infrastructure, airspace management and traffic flows. Understanding these changes, alongside the climate benefits of emerging technologies and fuels, is essential to making informed decisions about aviation's transition.

From environmental modelling to operational insights

ZENITIA will address these challenges through three complementary areas of work:

• Environmental impact modelling: Developing high-fidelity models to assess CO₂ and non-CO₂ climate effects, including contrails, nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and water vapour, as well as local and regional air quality.
• Mixed-fleet simulation: Developing gate-to-gate simulation tools to examine how conventional and next-generation aircraft can operate together and identify implications for airport infrastructure and operations.
• Decision-support platform: Creating an interactive platform to help aviation stakeholders explore scenarios for 2035, 2040 and 2050, supporting decisions on policy, operations and infrastructure investment.

As project coordinator Dr Abolfazl Simorgh, project coordinator, UC3M explains: “ZENITIA addresses a central challenge for future aviation: how to ensure that next-generation aircraft and fuels deliver measurable climate benefits while remaining safe, efficient and manageable across airports and airspace.”

The project will also draw on industry expertise to strengthen its modelling capabilities. Boeing Aerospace Spain, for example, will contribute original equipment manufacturer (OEM) performance data to help assess the accuracy of the models developed for kerosene-powered aircraft.

By connecting environmental science with operational modelling and future scenario analysis, ZENITIA aims to provide the evidence needed to support Europe's transition towards climate-neutral aviation, ensuring that the introduction of new aircraft and fuels is considered from a whole-system perspective.

Read the full press release for further details about the project, its objectives and consortium.

ZENITIA is one of the projects contributing to the Digital European Sky and is co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme through the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking (Grant Agreement No. 101289124).