Sustainability has become a cross-cutting axis in the most complex industrial sectors, and the aeronautical industry is no exception. In a global context where aviation faces increasing regulatory and societal pressures to reduce its environmental footprint, it is essential that engineering education programs integrate the socio-environmental dimension into their training. This work emerges from an educational perspective, aiming to bring aeronautical engineering students closer to the real sustainability challenges faced by the sector.

The main objective was to analyze how sustainability practices are implemented in a cargo airline, linking theoretical knowledge with field experiences that strengthen students’ active learning. The methodology combined a systematic literature review using scientific databases such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science, with a technical visit to a cargo airline hangar. During the visit, participating students conducted interviews with those responsible for environmental management, focusing on topics such as waste management, energy efficiency, use of renewable energies, and compliance with international regulations such as CORSIA and ICAO Annex 16.

The results reflect an increased awareness among students about the complexity of integrating sustainability into a highly regulated and technologically advanced sector. In addition, several good practices implemented by the visited company were identified, including the differentiated management of hazardous waste, monitoring of energy consumption in hangars, and environmental training programs for staff. This experience reinforced the understanding of sustainability as both a technical and ethical component in the education of future engineers, contributing to the development of a more contextualized and committed education to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Keywords: Aeronautical sustainability, environmental education, active learning, environmental management.