"The truth is we're not exactly sure why this technology reduces drag, but with the pressure of climate change we can't afford to wait around to find out."
It would be scary if that same type of argument (can't wait around to find out why it works) was applied to something like medicine or genetic engineering. It's almost scary that it's being used for something like air travel. What if this technology can also cause a plane to become unstable? It would be best to understand why it works and be to be assured that it won't adversely affect flight.

"It would be scary if that same type of argument (can't wait around to find out why it works) was applied to something like medicine or genetic engineering."

How do you think so many drugs come about? Sometimes if it works, it works, and people don't want to spend the money or time to wait. This does turn out poorly for many drugs, which have to get pulled out of their market because of some unforeseen effects.

Fortunately for the airline industry, a plane flying through air is much less complicated than the human body, so thorough testing should be able to ascertain its safety without having to know the exact physics of it.

“The truth is we’re not exactly sure why this technology reduces drag but with the pressure of climate change we can’t afford to wait around to find out. So we are pushing ahead with prototypes and have a separate three year project to look more carefully at the physics behind it.”