On January 18, 2023, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson dropped a big announcement: NASA is working on a revolutionary airplane that’ll be ready by 2028—and here’s the crazy part—it could cut air travel costs by nearly 30 times. Yup, you read that right. And not with some super complex tech, but with what he called a simple jugaad.
According to him, this new plane will be so fuel-efficient that American airlines could save around $45,000 on fuel for every single flight. That’s a huge deal. But why is NASA suddenly working on cheaper flights?
Simple: The U.S. wants to take back control of the global airline game, and they know that only NASA has the brains and tools to make that happen.
A Quick Throwback: When Boeing Ruled the Skies
Let’s rewind to the 1970s. Back then, the airline industry was dominated by one big player—Boeing, an American company. Boeing was the boss, building planes that weren’t just carrying passengers but also carrying the U.S. economy to new heights (literally and figuratively).
But, as always, when one country becomes too powerful in something, others start noticing.
Soon, France, Spain, Germany, and Britain got together and decided, “Let’s build our own aircraft company.” And that’s how Airbus was born. It was a joint European project meant to challenge Boeing’s monopoly.
And guess what? Within just 10 years, Airbus started giving Boeing some serious competition—and even managed to take the crown as the world’s top airplane manufacturer. That stung the U.S., especially since Boeing had been flying high for decades.
How the U.S. Reacted
Now, here’s the thing about the U.S.—they don’t just sit back when someone challenges them. History’s full of examples: whether it was breaking up the USSR or creating alliances like NATO, the U.S. always comes up with a bigger response.
So when Airbus started pulling ahead, the U.S. accused European governments of giving Airbus unfair advantages—basically, helping them out with subsidies and financial support.
Europe didn’t stay quiet either. They fired back, saying the U.S. was doing the same thing for Boeing.
This back-and-forth went on for a while until finally, in 1992, both sides decided to chill and signed a deal called the Large Civil Aircraft Agreement.
The Deal (That Didn’t Work Out So Well)
This agreement had a few ground rules:
- Both sides would limit the subsidies they give their aircraft companies
- Future competition would happen on a level playing field
But did they actually stick to this deal? Not really.
While the U.S. mostly followed the rules, Europe allegedly kept helping Airbus under the table. One trick? Giving Airbus interest-free loans—which, let’s be honest, is a huge deal when you're building billion-dollar planes.
So the U.S. took the fight to the World Trade Organization (WTO). And after a detailed investigation, WTO confirmed that Europe broke the rules. That gave the U.S. the green light to act.
Time to Bring Out the Big Guns: Enter NASA
Now that things were official, the U.S. decided to go all in. And when they go all in, they go to NASA.
NASA teamed up with Boeing and started working on something that could change the airline industry forever. We’re talking about a plane that:
- Uses 30 times less fuel
- Costs way less to operate
- Might shake up the entire aviation world
And the best part? They’re doing it with smart, efficient design—not just throwing money at the problem.
The Real Game-Changer: Fighting Air Drag
Here’s a fun fact: one of the biggest issues in flight is air drag—basically the resistance a plane faces when flying through the air. The more drag, the more fuel you burn.
Surprisingly, back in the early days of aviation, people didn’t really pay much attention to drag. It wasn’t until around 1891 that a German guy named Otto Lilienthal—nicknamed The Flying Man—started doing serious experiments with wings. He realized drag was messing with lift, and he began studying how to reduce it.
That research laid the foundation for how we design planes today. And now, NASA is taking it to the next level with modern tech, new materials, and smarter designs.
What This Means for You (and Everyone Who Flies)
If NASA pulls this off, the impact will be massive:
- Airline tickets could get way cheaper
- Airlines save huge amounts on fuel
- The environment benefits too with lower carbon emissions
But more than anything, this is about innovation and competition. The U.S. isn’t just trying to win a business race—it’s trying to reclaim its spot as the leader in the skies.
Final Thoughts
So, what started as a tug-of-war between two airplane giants—Boeing and Airbus—has now turned into a full-blown mission led by NASA. And if all goes according to plan, by 2028, we might be flying in planes that are smarter, cheaper, and greener than ever before.
Let’s just hope they don’t make the legroom any smaller.