Mapping the green aviation: A bibliometric analysis of green aviation research (1900–2025)

Driven by the urgent challenge of climate change, sustainable aviation research has witnessed explosive growth since 2015. This study employs bibliometric methods to analyze 8081 documents from the Web of Science Core Collection (1900–2025). It maps the global distribution of research forces, characterizes the foundational knowledge structure, and innovatively integrates an economic and management perspective to scrutinize the barriers to commercialization. The findings reveal that global research forces are undergoing a profound transformation from Western dominance to a diversified landscape. In terms of knowledge evolution, the research focus has fundamentally shifted from environmental impact assessment to the exploration of specific technological solutions, eventually converging into two parallel trajectories: the SAF and the Electrification. By conducting a economic analysis, this study specifically highlights the socio-economic feasibility constraints hindering the SAF pathway. Based on these findings, this study proposes several research directions and policy implications.