Natural Fiber Composites for Sustainable Aviation Lightweight Structures: A Systematic Literature Review

The aviation industry faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and adopt sustainable materials, driving interest in natural fiber composites (NFCs) as lightweight alternatives to conventional synthetic composites; however, their applicability in aviation remains fragmented across material development, performance validation, and manufacturing integration. This systematic review, conducted per PRISMA 2020 guidelines, searched Scopus and Web of Science (2014–2026) using terms explicitly incorporating aviation, aerospace, and UAV relevance. From 412 identified records, 64 studies were retained after deduplication, screening, full-text eligibility assessment, and post-hoc verification by four independent co-authors. Findings were organized into three themes: (1) development of sustainable NFC materials, emphasizing hybrid composites and fiber treatments; (2) mechanical, thermal, and functional performance evaluation under aerospace-relevant conditions; and (3) advanced manufacturing, design optimization, and real-world aviation applications. The review finds that NFCs demonstrate substantial potential for lightweight aviation structures, including several certification-anchored component demonstrations, but that certification-relevant fire, smoke, and toxicity testing, structural-scale validation, and manufacturing repeatability data remain underrepresented in the current literature, representing priority directions for future research.