On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s historic 1927 New York to Paris flight, The Lindbergh Foundation, a global leader in balancing innovation and technology with the environment, and the XPRIZE Foundation, with the support of The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA) has announced an all-industry alliance to decarbonize aviation using incentive prizes. The announcement was made at the Business Aviation Sustainability Summit, during the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva, Switzerland.

While air transportation provides enormous benefits to society, the industry now faces several critical challenges. Chief among these is reducing aviation’s carbon dioxide footprint. To this end, the Lindbergh Foundation is launching an audacious program called the Forever Flight Alliance.

"As we approach the centennial anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 New York to Paris flight, we have an opportunity that is not just a celebration, but a call to action to make aviation permanently sustainable. The Forever Flight Alliance builds on the success initiated with the Orteig Prize that incentivized Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight across the Atlantic and the Ansari XPRIZE that launched the commercial spaceflight revolution,” said Erik Lindbergh, chairman of The Lindbergh Foundation.

“Seeking to win the $25,000 Orteig prize, Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 flight caused a step-change in aviation. The power of competition through incentive prizes has been proven throughout history as a great motivator,” said Gregg Maryniak, co-founder of the XPRIZE Foundation.

The Forever Flight Alliance is focusing on the following key objectives:

• Establish a global brain-trust of innovators, solution-seekers, and thought leaders
• Map and accelerate the pathways to achieve net-zero aviation
• Create incentive prizes to accelerate transformational breakthroughs.

“We are proud of the strong partnerships with the XPRIZE Foundation, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and NBAA. In 1927, my grandfather realized that his greatest asset resided in the confidence and foresight of his backers in the Spirit of St. Louis. To accomplish this new audacious goal, we need the backing of visionaries who can propel us on this mission toward sustainable aviation. Guided by history, we are embarking on one of the greatest challenges of our time,” added Lindbergh.

About The Lindbergh Foundation

The Lindbergh Foundation continues the legacy of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s lifetime of service by spearheading bold solutions and inspiring talent to help balance technology and the environment. Founded in 1977 by Neil Armstrong, General James Doolittle and other friends of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the Lindbergh Foundation has a long history of enabling innovation at the nexus of technology and the environment through its grants and awards programs. Today it is focused on decarbonizing aviation and stimulating education as the organization plans for the 100th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 New York to Paris transatlantic flight. Visit LindberghFoundation.org

About the XPRIZE Foundation

XPRIZE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges. Active competitions include the $20 Million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, $10 Million XPRIZE Rainforest, $10 Million ANA Avatar XPRIZE, $6 Million XPRIZE Rapid COVID Testing, the $5 Million IBM Watson AI XPRIZE, $5 Million XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling, and $500K Pandemic Response Challenge. For more information, visit xprize.org.

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