The 2025 Paris Air Show, started on June 16 at Le Bourget, is going beyond just showcasing aerospace wonders – it marks a key point for big players in the aluminium industry. Constellium's spot at Chalet B47 highlights the event’s dual focus on cutting-edge technology and green practices.
Image source: Numix
Core innovation: Airware® and sustainable performance
At one of the most prestigious aerospace events, Constellium is showcasing its Airware® aluminium-lithium alloy, a unique solution created to build next-generation aircraft and spacecraft. Airware® excels with its high strength-to-weight ratio, lower density, and strong resistance to fatigue and corrosion. These characteristics make it perfect to construct lighter planes that use less fuel and produce fewer emissions. For a company leading the downstream aluminium sector, this goes beyond a technical breakthrough – it gives them an edge over competitors. The capacity to supply materials that assist aerospace manufacturers in meeting tougher environmental and performance requirements puts the downstream aluminium producer at the centre of aviation's future.
Circular economy: Recycling from end-of-life aircraft
Constellium will also demonstrate the first aluminum ingot produced entirely at lab scale using material from end-of-life aircraft. This has been achieved through a recycling and remelting process that meets the strict pyrometallurgical standards required for new aircraft manufacturing. Made possible by Airbus and TARMAC Aerosave (the collaboration was announced in 2023), this accomplishment is a significant example of the circular economy endeavours that are being taken by the aviation sector.
Recycling aluminium only uses 5% of the energy of primary production, creating 95% less CO₂ emissions, which should present a significant leverage point for sustainability in aviation. For aluminium industry stakeholders, specifically, this development is a use-case to scale the circular initiatives and new value-capture opportunities in aircraft decommissioning—a market that is going to grow as global fleets renew and modernise.
TARMAC Aerosave President and CEO Alexandre Brun said, "We have always wanted to sort and recover aluminium in the best way possible to increase our recycling rate (which is currently at over 92%). We are happy to have partnered with organisations that also recognise the power of circular solutions for aviation."
President of Constellium's Aerospace and Transportation business unit Philippe Hoffmann added, "This project is really unique because it shows, through a real-world industry example, that even complex aerospace aluminium alloys from end-of-life aircraft can be fully recycled and reconstituted into material suitable for new aerospace subjects."
Strategic outlook: Innovation as mandate, not option
For aluminium industry leaders, the Paris Air Show offers a front-row seat to the future. The insights gained—from new alloy finishes to breakthroughs in circular economies—will be critical in defining R&D focus, investment plans and customers and partners. Constellium's exhibit, showcasing their work on the Wing of the Future project, illustrates how next-gen wing technology and advanced alloys are leading to aircraft that are lighter and more fuel-efficient. For those managing the aluminium industry, these are not just technical advancements. They are strategic mandates that will define what it means to lead in a rapidly evolving aerospace market.
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