From Biomimicry to Operational Reality - The Status of Wake Energy Retrieval

By Captain Bassani - ATPL/B-727/DC-10/B-767 - Former Air Accident Inspector SIA PT. captbassani@gmail.com - Dec/2025 - https://www.personalflyer.com.br

Image IA

For us pilots, wake turbulence has always been synonymous with hazard and mandatory separation minima. However, Airbus’s fello'fly project, now evolved into the GEESE program (SESAR JU), is rewriting this rule by turning wasted energy into pure efficiency, inspired by the formation flight of wild geese.

1. The beginning: proof of concept (2019-2021)

Launched in 2019, the initial goal was to prove the physics. In 2021, Airbus successfully conducted the first transatlantic "Wake Energy Retrieval" (WER) demonstration flight using two A350 test aircraft.

• The technique: the "follower" aircraft positions itself in the smooth updraft created by the leader's wake, approximately 1.5 to 2 nautical miles behind.

• The result: a proven reduction of over 5% in fuel burn and CO2 emissions, with no impact on passenger comfort.

2. The middle: the ATM Integration Challenge (GEESE Project)

With aerodynamics proven, the challenge shifted to operations: how to coordinate two distinct commercial flights to meet in the middle of the ocean with split-second precision? Under the GEESE (Gain Environmental Efficiency by Saving Energy) project within SESAR 3 JU, Airbus partnered with operators like Air France, Delta, French bee, and Virgin Atlantic, alongside ANSPs (DSNA, NATS, Eurocontrol).

The focus moved from "flying the wing" to "managing the rendezvous."

3. Current status: operational validation (December 2025)

This December 2025, the consortium announced the completion of a critical phase of real-world trials over the North Atlantic.

• What was tested: not the formation flight itself (the physics are already validated), but the "rendezvous" process.

• The tech: the use of new Pairing Assistance Tools for dispatchers and pilots.

• For the pilot: validation focused on cockpit procedures to adjust trajectories, ensuring aircraft arrive at the meeting point at the exact time, while maintaining conventional vertical separation until coupling.

  
  

We are moving from the experimental phase to the industrialization of the concept. For the pilot community, this signals a future shift in long-haul flight profiles: operations will evolve from solitary to collaborative. Wake Energy Retrieval proves that the next frontier in efficiency won't just come from new engines but from dynamic and cooperative Air Traffic Management (ATM).

Safe flights!

Captain Bassani

Sources:

• Airbus: Fello'fly and Geese Project Overview & Press Release (Dec 2025)​

• SESAR Joint Undertaking: GEESE Project Portal & Validations​​

• Eurocontrol & Partners: Operational trials context (DSNA, NATS, Airlines)​

#Aviation #Pilots #Airbus #FelloFly #OperationalEfficiency #Sustainability #A350 #AirTrafficManagement #ATM #AviationInnovation #WakeEnergyRetrieval #SESAR #GreenAviation #FlightOperations #FormationFlight

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