So how does the metaverse – a shared digital space often using virtual reality or augmented reality and accessible via the internet – work in aviation? Like Airbus, Boeing's holy grail for its next new aircraft is to build and link virtual three-dimensional "digital twin" replicas of the jet and the production system able to run simulations. The digital mockups are backed by a "digital thread" that stitches together every piece of information about the aircraft from its infancy – from airline requirements, to millions of parts, to thousands of pages of certification documents – extending deep into the supply chain. Overhauling antiquated paper-based practices could bring powerful change. More than 70% of quality issues at Boeing trace back to some kind of design issue, Hyslop said. Boeing believes such tools will be central to bringing a new aircraft from inception to market in as little as four or five years.