From Blockchain to Electric Aircraft: Why Hype Doesn’t Fly

"Guys, there's a storm coming, and if you don't get on it and deal with it, you will perish," said Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark in a 2018 interview with Business Insider.

At the time, those words caused a stir. Sir Tim Clark is not a man known for missteps, and his reputation gave weight to his warning. The “storm” he referred to was blockchain technology, and in 2018 it seemed destined to reshape every industry, aviation included.

For a while, the message was everywhere. Reports, articles, and conference panels all aligned in chorus: blockchain would become indispensable to every organization.

But as we know in aviation, forecasts don’t always match reality.

The hype surrounding blockchain has met the same fate as a pilot landing too long and believing he can still stop before the runway ends, despite performance charts saying otherwise. At best, there’s a fence waiting. At worst, a concrete wall.

In practice, blockchain’s tangible benefits have been realized almost exclusively in one category: cryptocurrency. Within that category, Bitcoin remains the undisputed leader, while Ethereum has established itself as a strong co-leader. From a strategic marketing point of view, they occupy the top two positions in their field, clearly differentiated and firmly entrenched in the public consciousness.

Outside of this niche, however, only a handful of companies have extracted real competitive value from blockchain. The grand vision of universal adoption never materialized.

So, what should we take away from this? The most important lesson is that true innovation requires a solid technological foundation. Narratives and forecasts alone cannot carry a technology forward.

Without underlying performance, the story inevitably hits the wall.

As an industry, aerospace must be mindful of this. Today, electrification, especially in aviation, is the new headline grabber. It’s easy to draw bold comparisons to revolutions, but history reminds us to stay grounded.

Consider the electric forklift. It has been around for more than 60 years, proving itself useful in warehouses and specialized environments. But it never replaced the diesel  forklift. It carved out a niche rather than reshaping the entire market.

Blockchain followed a similar path, useful in some contexts, but far from a universal disruptor. The same reality may await battery-powered aircraft: excellent for specific applications, but unlikely to replace conventional propulsion across the board.

At Horix Aerospace, we believe it’s essential to approach technological trends with both curiosity and discipline. We should embrace innovation, but with the rigor of performance analysis, operational context, and long-term viability.

The future of aerospace will not be built on hype. It will be built on technologies that prove their worth where it matters most: safety, efficiency, and performance.

And that is where we stand, focused on advancing aerospace with solutions that are not only innovative but truly reliable, practical, and ready for real-world flight.

About Horix Aerospace

Horix Aerospace is an horizontally integrated aerospace company, strongly focused in Spare Parts Management solutions for the Business Aircraft Market. Horix has developed both the Trust Consignment Program and the Trust Dismantling Program to offer clients a unique opportunity becoming the Swiss Trusted Solution for Aerospace Components Management. With over USD 30M in assets under management, Horix Aerospace has become a disruptive force in the Aerospace Industry with both its Trust Dismantling Program and unique Business Model.

Strongly capitalized and managed by a team of industry veterans, Horix Aerospace is proud to be a Swiss owned and operated company.