Ever since Charlie Taylor hand-built the first four-cylinder piston engine for the Wright Flyer in 1903, most of the step-change advances in aviation propulsion have been driven by military-led research and requirements.

“The question is: Can China buy its way into commercial aircraft?” asks a senior Western aeronautical engineer who, thanks to painful experience in the past decade, knows a thing or two about the challenges in developing an airliner. With the Comac C919 now approaching the halfway point of its eight-year development cycle, the answer still seems to be “maybe, since China is not yet aiming at building a world-beater.”

Airline passengers increasing expect broadband access to the Internet onboard jetliners, similar to what they have at home, in offices, at restaurants and in airline terminals. No longer content with just simple text messaging, they expect the same Wi-Fi connectivity speeds at 35,000 ft. as they have on the ground. New technologies are emerging that will not only make this a reality, but also promise to reduce connection charges, thereby spurring increased demand and revenues for air carriers.

On several occasions in the past, French cockpit crews fiercely disputed the decisions of Air France's executives, both before and after the flag carrier's privatization. This dissension frequently led to walkouts, subjecting travelers to flight cancellations and other disruptions.

Last year proved to be a particularly difficult one for Russia's civil aviation industry, as multiple accidents raised concerns regarding the country's transportation safety culture. For many, last year's challenges beg the question: What is being done to ensure the highest possible level of aviation safety in Russia?

China's aerospace industry is reaching out to Indonesia's state-owned airframer in an effort to further open the Southeast Asian nation to Chinese-made aircraft. This strategic move, if successful, could make it harder for ATR, Bombardier and other Western manufacturers to secure sales in Indonesia.

Trials of end-to-end performance-based navigation (PBN) procedures on a busy Latin American route mark another incremental step in global PBN development. LAN Peru launched the trials Feb. 23 using flights between Lima and major tourism gateway Cusco. General Electric Aviation has installed required navigation performance (RNP) procedures at both airports, which cover the entire flight of almost 1 hr. RNP is an advanced type of PBN that allows aircraft to fly precise—and more efficient—routes using aircraft flight-management systems.

In 2009, Southwest Airlines unveiled an ambitious plan to switch out its original Boeing 737 cabin in favor of a sustainable one called the Green Plane. Two years later, the airline has finished rigorous tests of lighter, recyclable aircraft components and tallied survey results from passengers who commented on the new amenities. The project has culminated in Evolve, an interior design that includes newly engineered seats, carpets and bulkheads.